Catholics perform hymns during an Easter Mass at a church in Beijing on March 30. (Photo: AFP)
Two Chinese Catholic priests working for an underground Catholic diocese in China have been subjected to alleged forced disappearance, says a report.
Fathers Chen Hekun and Chi Huitian from Baoding diocese in Hebei Province have been reported missing since April this year, the China Aid reported on May 22, citing a Chinese Catholic news website Catholic Online.
Baoding diocese is one of China’s largest underground Catholic jurisdictions not recognized by the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).
Allegedly, Chen has been illegally detained by the authorities and the Catholics of Baoding diocese have requested “brothers and sisters to pray for Father Chen,” China Aid reported.
Chen was taken away from his home in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, on April 29, and is currently detained in Anxin County by Chinese authorities. The reasons for his detention have not been made known yet.
Chen was born in Anxin County and served as the dean of the Baoding diocesan seminary after his ordination as a priest for the diocese.
Reportedly, he had narrowly escaped arrest in November 2020 when the local government officials had raided the seminary and had taken away two priests, more than ten seminarians, and nuns.
Chen was away from the seminary at the time. The police were continuously on the lookout for him.
Meanwhile, Chi went incommunicado on April 17 in Baoding. The police later stated that he was sent back to his birthplace Xingtai, without giving the exact reasons for detaining him.
However, Chi’s family and friends say that they have not received any clear details of his whereabouts and have issued a request to the public to share any available information.
“We hope that anyone who knows where he is can help us. At the same time, we also ask you to pray for him and ask the Lord to help him,” they said, China Aid reported.
Reportedly, a majority of priests and other officials in Baoding diocese have signed documents and obtained certificates for the so-called “legalization,” which keeps them from harassment.
However, many refuse and face illegal detention and other charges.
Allegedly, such incidents of forced disappearances have occurred earlier in the diocese, China Aid reported.
The priests who are unwilling to join state-sanctioned church institutions and those who do not comply with the “brainwashing” and political “re-education” conducted by the Chinese Communist Party are targeted.
During the detention period, the priests are required to attend political meetings.
They may be detained for a longer time until they “prove” a change in their thinking and join the government-controlled “official” institutions of the Chinese Church before being released, China Aid reported.
