. m4 [* l" {& @) o) {( J6 {" A# rBEIJING (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.' u; [9 X8 Y2 P; d0 Q
4 t$ m* x& a* ~) u% C* V' TThe 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./ s% p! B. s7 t( V; `+ d" ?" N% l: P
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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.( L7 J* W2 `) o3 K/ d. a& ]
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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. ) G0 L: Z& L3 f2 _5 N0 ?" f; y0 A) d) ^- ~4 Z2 c. }7 i
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.6 q- n8 j+ R3 x9 R0 n" n8 r
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The Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter. 8 f) \5 v7 Z+ y+ j( e8 w* n9 u+ A4 f, c! S7 M8 J6 _9 Y7 _- Z
Parts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches. 2 D3 Z' |1 Q/ h/ ^, Y6 h, ~/ e2 [; u ! C& P, I( |% p8 T HThe Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs. 8 H" j6 H; \ e: U7 J( F! y9 L( c) n+ i7 D7 Z; N* c; B
Plain 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./ W! [) B! s9 N5 f; U9 h9 ~5 Q* X4 e
' s7 T/ |' x; L9 x* v$ ]"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone. 6 m. }3 y, k5 m4 z* ~ ! Y3 ]9 u7 D, f+ k; B8 AKung 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. - O/ a* P: q d1 b: M. V& A* S9 Z$ J7 ~7 ^9 u$ L0 m( J
Sometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer. ! g# F8 }, G" I: k: o' m8 B9 D( d , i8 q ?' g9 Z; a$ _The Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese.3 M) w. q! i/ r2 O/ I
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Rome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval.+ j) F+ U! z6 v5 o4 r% u
" I7 i5 r) O# f( p# {) i" P* pBut an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval. : |# W7 w: M) N' y6 _3 j& e O7 C" G) N; S4 k# @+ M
These 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.
