The whereabouts of a Chinese Catholic bishop remain unknown six days after his alleged arrest by the Communist authorities, reports say.
Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou was arrested on Jan. 2, for allegedly opposing the meddling of the state officials in the affairs of the diocese in Zhejiang province of eastern China, the Pillar reported referring to Asia News.
The 61-year-old bishop was ordained in 2011 with the Vatican mandate.
However, he has been arrested several times and detained for months, effectively barring him from performing the role of a bishop as he is not recognized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), which controls the “official church.”
Despite the 2018 Vatican-China agreement on bishop appointments based on mutual consent, Shao remains unrecognized by the CCP due to his constant refusal to join the CCPA, reports say.
The prelate is routinely arrested during major Christian feasts such as Easter and Christmas, which bar him from celebrating Mass with large congregations.