HONG KONG –Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding was arrested April 5 in Hebei province. The bishop was detained the day after Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week and the first of several important liturgical dates culminating on Easter Sunday.
In recent years Bishop Jia has been detained by government officials ahead of major Church celebrations.
Bishop Jia, 69, who was ordained a bishop in 1980, has spent a total of about 20 years in prison. Last year he was detained for two months before being released Aug. 24 and returning to Zhengding, about 270 kilometers southwest of Beijing and 10 kilometers from Shijiazhuang, the Hebei capital. At his residence, Bishop Jia takes care of about 100 handicapped orphans.
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, released the following statement today concerning the arrest and imprisonment of Bishop Jia ZhiGuo in China:
