; W7 p0 {2 y* M9 `内蒙古自治区乌海市乌达区被警方带走的4位家庭教会领袖至今依然被关押。根据美国基督教权益组织对华援助协会提供的消息，7月14号，乌海市乌达区刑警大队和桥西派出所各派两名刑警到付蓬图牧师家中，抓走了付蓬图的妻子高春霞以及其他三位传道人，他们是来自平顶山的谢亚楠和陈冰慧以及乌海乌达本地的教友刘玉康。 9 t( Z; o+ i4 l' d; Z + G2 t: W) P3 b. w6 B. p0 ]高春霞的父亲高学新说，警察抓住他女儿时，她并没有在聚会，而只是在和从平顶山来的传道人谈话。高学新说，警方两天之后才给他们拘留证，罪名是非法传道。他说：“我们去要人，他们说：‘甭要了，我们还没调查清楚呢。’我们家属说：‘我们是信神的，你们早就调查过了。他们把家中的电子琴、电脑和圣经全部收走。我们信神根本不犯法啊！’” 8 i( E( j7 ~1 V) u5 ]1 s% e5 y0 p8 D/ S+ h/ ^4 \
据未经证实的数据统计，中国天主教和基督教新教信徒加起来估计已超过1亿，而且这个数字仍在不断增长。但是，家庭教会成员的宗教信仰受到各种限制，被当局恐吓、骚扰和拘留的情况时有发生，特别是天主教徒持续受到要他们效忠官方天主教爱国会的压力。% F) s( h" E. I$ o: t& M8 {
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中国和梵蒂冈在主教任命等问题上存在分歧，双方至今未建立外交关系。5 i/ e1 x/ p1 I7 D2 @
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China detains three underground priests, group says/ l# o" d- h( T1 J
Sun Jul 29, 2007 9 B! S- O2 ~. P * e( o' K( t) m }BEIJING (Reuters) - China detained three "underground" Catholic priests unwilling to serve a state-controlled body, a U.S. group has reported, as Beijing and the Vatican press their claims on religious controls. ! L) P2 g" h4 P4 D% H5 ]* C/ z; i# I. [
The three men were caught by police in north China's Inner Mongolia region, having fled there from neighboring Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement emailed late on Saturday.4 w8 p+ r* P3 [4 ~: B
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The detentions came as the Vatican and Beijing test their boundaries of authority following a letter on China's Catholics from Pope Benedict.) n7 s( J8 ?. k% {1 R. Q/ v
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China's 12 million Catholics share the same basic religious beliefs but are politically divided between "above-ground" churches approved by the ruling Communist Party and "underground" churches that reject government ties.$ f' H& m: ^( M+ @
8 h: M' n3 x# z! N, `On June 30, Pope Benedict issued a letter that urged reconciliation between the two sides. But he said the church must have the power to run its own affairs, including appointing bishops, possibly with government consultation.4 E) T4 S4 G1 `4 X
/ R. I# _3 Z: V3 W- I) e' eThe Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter.2 ]" H4 l3 G0 T% A" V- M/ D
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Parts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches. 5 q, j) {/ t# h# I* m 3 c) z+ U! H7 \. \2 IThe Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs." [4 u% E$ D/ L4 C0 S
2 y; ?7 {8 k2 `& j* l* U: C9 WPlain clothes police detained the priests -- Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong and Gao Jinbao -- on July 24 and they have been transferred to an unknown location, the Foundation said.* [5 ~' V& R+ Q6 n) U+ O
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"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone.# C4 X$ ]) `6 d" H
* N7 ]/ x0 d3 u# C8 P' qKung said he did not know if the men have been charged. Another underground priest, Cui Tai, had been detained in Hebei following a minor motorbike accident, he said. w& q& d/ z' k/ C6 y , u# P; |1 U% L, u5 D: C. y. SSometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer.- D3 {5 T& @. W! f2 A( @
. T/ ?7 \* Y, j9 F& }' `+ hThe Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese.4 l+ s, t' d/ s! g: t( E
: O3 M& z$ n& zRome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval. 8 l* @) P! _" r8 y ! {$ O4 k0 q! F; ~ _But an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval./ I) H% O& |' O! M$ B
0 O$ }/ f, G+ o% C' E. JThese days, most state-approved bishops have also won Vatican blessing. The Vatican has not had diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1951 and instead recognizes Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China regards as an illegitimate breakaway.
