China releases Yujiang prelate after six months' detention

Bishop John Peng Weizhao was taken into custody after being secretly ordained by the Vatican.

Hong Kong:  Bishop John Peng Weizhao of Yujiang in Jiangxi province has been released six months after he was detained by Chinese authorities following his secret ordination by the Vatican.

Bishop Peng was freed on Friday on the condition that he does not travel outside of Jiangxi province during the next three months, said a source close to the bishop who declined to be named for security reasons.

“[The bishop is] relatively free now,” said the source. “He can perform his priesthood ministry but not his episcopal ministry.”

Authorities have continued to bar Bishop Peng from carrying out his role as a Vatican appointee as he was not approved by the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

Bishop Peng became the latest appointment to cause friction between the Holy See and Beijing when he succeeded 94-year-old Bishop Thomas Zeng Jingmu in April.

“Government officials must have learned this which led to his detention,” said a second source close to the bishop who also declined to be named for security reasons.

On May 30, Bishop Peng was detained by authorities who kept him in a hostel in Ji’an.

“News of his episcopal ordination spread among Catholics only after he was taken away,” said the second source.

Source: ucanews.com