ICC Note: Bishop Cui Tai in Hebei province has disappeared since mid-April, and his whereabouts are still unknown. The Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong issued a statement on May 29 to call for the release of Bishop Cui, an underground Chinese bishop most likely abducted by local authorities.  

05/30/2018 China (UCA News) – An underground Chinese bishop has been taken away by authorities as Beijing’s clampdown on religion claims more victims.

Coadjutor Bishop Cui Tai of Xuanhua in Hebei province has not been seen since mid-April and his whereabouts are unknown.

The Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of Hong Kong issued a statement on May 29 calling on the Chinese government to grant Bishop Cui freedom, allow him to receive medical care and to release other clergy in Hebei province.

Hebei has recently reported increased suppression of religion. Hejian city authorities demanded all students attend classes on Mother’s Day to prevent them from participating in the annual Ludezhuang pilgrimage; Faith Weekly based in Hebei was ordered not to report any news about Month of Mary pilgrimages across the country; and a statue of a martyr saint was removed from a Catholic church on May 8.

The JPC statement said that Bishop Cui had been in poor health in recent years, suffering from severe gastritis, neurasthenia and dizziness.

The commission was very worried about his situation and strongly condemned the Chinese government for serious violations of the constitution and international human rights conventions to protect citizens’ basic rights and religious freedom.

The statement said Bishop Cui upholds the freedom of belief and conscience, rejects the government’s religious policy that violates the principle of faith, and refuses to accept the leadership of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

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