The Vatican expressed " grave concern" on Monday for one of its bishops in China, saying he was being held in an unknown location after being " forcibly removed" from his diocese. Current top breaking Philippine headlines regarding the nation…
VATICAN CITY, Holy See – The Vatican expressed « grave concern » on Monday for one of its bishops in China, saying he was being held in an unknown location after being « forcibly removed » from his diocese. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said the Holy See was « profoundly saddened » by the situation of Peter Shao Zhumin, who he said has been missing for some time from his diocese in Wenzhou in southeastern China. « The diocesan Catholic community and his relatives have no news or reasons for his removal, nor do they know where he is being held, » Burke said. According to the specialist religious website Asianews.it, Shao Zhumin has been in detention since May 18. His friends fear the authorities are trying to force him to switch from the underground church recognized by the Vatican to the state-run Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) .
