German ambassador to China calls for release of pope-chosen bishop
Ambassador Michael Clauss is seeking the end of detention for Shao Zhumin and has raised concerns about new rules covering religion
The German ambassador to China called on authorities on Tuesday to end the apparent confinement of a Catholic bishop and said he was concerned by proposed changes to the country’s rules governing religion.
Ambassador Michael Clauss said in a statement posted on the embassy’s website that Shao Zhumin appears to have been forced by authorities to move to unknown locations four times over the past year. Shao, who was recognised as a bishop by the pope but not by Beijing, now appears to be confined to his home.
“His full freedom of movement should be restored,” Clauss said in the statement.
Shao was appointed in September by the Vatican as bishop in the Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, which has a large Christian community. Ever since the officially atheistic communist state cut relations with the Holy See in the 1950s, the Vatican and Beijing have been at loggerheads over who has the right to name bishops in China and other issues governing the church.
The Vatican-affiliated AsiaNews website, which closely covers the underground church in China, reported that police had taken Shao away on May 18. Last week, Shao was spotted arriving back at Wenzhou airport, accompanied by government officers who then drove him to an unknown location, AsiaNews reported on Monday.
