Nothing is known about Fr Joseph Chen
Hailong of Xuanhua (Hebei), two months after he disappeared. On 29 June,
Hong Kong Catholics will stage a protest to demand the release of
jailed clergymen and respect for Catholic believers.Ordained two years ago, Fr Chen was taken into custody on 9 April in Yangqing, Beijing County, where he exercised his ministry. His whereabouts remain unknown. His family does not have any information about his fate and fears he might have been tortured like Fr Peter Zhang Guangjun, who comes from the same diocese.
Fr Zhang, who was held between 10 January and 13 April 2011, was hit with fists, sticks, a bucket, and was forced to stay awake for five days, soaked in cold water in the middle of winter, until he collapsed.
“He always refused to accept the principle of an autonomous and self-governed Church, independent [from the Pope],” an anonymous source told AsiaNews. “He was eventually released on 13 April.”
“During those days, despite the physical pain, I prayed the rosary and said Mass every day, in silence,” Fr Zhang told those he met. “I imagined praying with my parishioners and that gave me spiritual strength.”
“It was however impossible to force me to celebrate Mass with priests from the patriotic Church or get me to register, so officials insulted me, the Church and God. I defended myself and was tortured again,” he was quoted as saying.
“After he was released, he showed injuries to the head and the legs, clear signs of torture,” a source said. “Now he is undergoing medical treatment for his head injuries. He still suffers from headaches and vomits.”
On 29 June, feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, will preside over a Mass in Hong Kong and lead a protest rally to the China Liaison Office in the former British Crown Colony to demand Fr Chen’s release and that of all the other Catholic priests and bishops. It will also be an occasion to remember all the Catholics who suffer in China.
Mgr Su Zhimin, bishop of Baoding, Mgr Cosmas Shi Enxiang, bishop of Yixian, Fr Lu Genjun, vicar general of Baoding, and Fr Wang Lifang of Zhengding are among those in jail or who “disappeared”.
The protest on 29 June is organised by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Hong Kong.
“The date was chosen to remember that the people of China is suffering because of their faith, like Saints Peter and Paul who were persecuted and jailed for their faith,” Lina Chan, executive secretary of the commission, told AsiaNews. “They are enduring prison, torture and inhuman mistreatment to follow their faith.”
The ordination of bishops without the consent of the Holy See “is an act that shows disrespect for the Catholic Church, personal freedom and freedom of conscience,” she added. “By staging a protest after the Mass, we shall voice our demand for religious freedom in China and for believers’ right to practice their faith in a normal way.”
Since mid-February, Beijing has been engaged its worst crackdown against human rights since at least 1998. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of pro-democracy activists have been threatened, arrested or disappeared. The authorities are afraid that Jasmine Revolution-like protests might spread to the mainland. Many of those arrested are Christian.
Meanwhile, Zeng Jinyan, wife of dissident Hu Jia, disappeared today. Mr Hu is scheduled for release on 26 June after purging a three and half year sentence for “subversion”.
Ms Zeng took a plane from Shenzhen yesterday, but did not land in Beijing. It is thought that she was “taken away by the authorities”, a local newspaper reported.
In recent days, she had told the media that she was concerned that after her husband’s release, they would continue to face restrictions and checks.