The priests belonging to the Diocese of Zhengding, in Heibei Province, had traveled to Jinzhou from their parishes for a religious retreat conducted by Bishop Jia Zhiguo, according to the Cardinal Kung Foundation which tracks the situation of the underground church in China.
Bishop Jia Zhiguo himself had just been released from round-the-clock surveillance, apparently as a humanitarian gesture while Pope John Paul II was dying and Pope Benedict XVI was elected, said the foundation, which is named after the late Chinese Cardinal Ignatius Kung.
Following the election of Pope Benedcict XVI, the Chinese government expressed its willingness to improve relations between China and the Vatican. However, the underground Catholic Church in communion with Rome is suppressed, and there is also an officially approved Catholic Church under regime control.
Jia was warned by the authorities not to organize any religious activities, the foundation reported from its headquarters in Connecticut.
