New arrest for Msgr. Jia Zhiguo, underground bishop of Zhengding
Rome,June.07,2007(CINS/AsiaNews) – The underground bishop of Zhengding (Hebei), Msgr. Giulio Jia Zhiguo, was arrested by police June 5th last. This is the ninth time that the prelate has been arrested since 2004. The episode was reported by the American Kung Foundation, as association which fights for religious freedom in China.
Police took him from his home at 9.30 am (local time). According to local sources, the officers spoke of “nine days of arrest”: the place where he is being detained is unknown.
The motive for the arrest is unclear, but an expert told AsiaNews that it could be a “provocation” ahead of the imminent publication of the Pope’s letter to China’s Catholic’s. It remains a fact that Heibei province is one of the worst hit by the regime’s anti-Catholic persecution.
The 73 year old prelate was last arrested in November 2005: in the past, Msgr. Jia spent over 20 years in prison. Since his release he has always found himself under strict police surveillance, limiting his pastoral work. He can no longer visit the faithful of his diocese; he cannot even give last rights to dying Catholics.
As he is not recognised by the government he cannot exercise his ministry. This is why on the eve of important feasts (Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, and the Assumption) he is always abducted and forced to submit to indoctrination to prevent underground Christian’s celebrations.
This severe control perhaps explains why his is one of the most vibrant diocese in Heibei, the area with the highest concentration of Catholics, with over one and a half million faithful.
Particular attention was given to him around the time of John Paul II’s death, April 2nd, given that the authorities expected internal friction among the bishops, along the lines of what happens when a party chief dies.
No one is allowed to visit him and his public appearances are always followed by local police. Bishop Jia, among other things, houses over a hundred handicapped and orphaned children in his home.
Interview with Archbishop Ncube of Zimbabwe
Inside the Vatican's Andrew Rabel offers a unique interview with the heroic Archbishop Ncube of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean Bishop Speaks Against Tyranny
- by Andrew Rabel
The most outspoken critic of the repressive regime of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is Archbishop Pius Ncube of the archdiocese of Bulawayo.
The 60-year-old bishop was made one of the Top 10 persons of the previous year in the Jan 2006 issue of Inside the Vatican, and has been the recipient of numerous awards and prizes for his courageous stance in drawing attention to the human rights situation in his country.
In May 2007 he was an official guest of the Australian government which has been a leader in trying to create awareness of this problem, and organize international attention to the plight of the people of Zimbabwe. Last week it cancelled a cricket tour to Zimbabwe scheduled for September, which would have been of immense propaganda value to the government there, as the team are the World Cup winners. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) oversaw the visit to the country.
In March, after the arrest and beating of opposition leaders at a prayer rally Archbishop Ncube said, "I am ready to stand in front. We must be ready to stand, even in front of blazing guns. The biggest problem is Zimbabweans are cowards, myself included. We must get off our comfortable seats and suffer with the people."
However, he emphasizes the faith of Catholics and their trust in prayer as the primary means of dealing with the brutal situation. Still, he continues to denounce Mugabe (himself educated by Catholic missionaries in the former Rhodesia), insisting that he must go.
INSIDE THE VATICAN: Where were you born and what prompted you in your early life to decide to become a priest?
ARCHBISHOP NCUBE: I was born in a place called Gwanda, about 130 km southeast of Bulawayo, which is the second largest city in Zimbabwe. I think I was touched by missionaries always ready to help and uplift the people, and stand with them in times of difficulty. The idea of being a Good Samaritan preached by the missionaries is one of the chief ideas that attracted me to the priesthood, to be someone who doesn't just live for himself.
ITV: Were you appointed archbishop of Bulawayo by John Paul II?
ARCHBISHOP: Yes. I was ordained a priest at the age of 27 in 1973. It took quite a long training after secondary school to be a priest - 7 years, 3 years of philosophy and 4 years of theology. After that I worked for about 25 years as a priest. All this occurred during a very difficult time.
The guerilla war to liberate Zimbabwe dragged on and on, some awful things happened during that struggle. I witnessed these things. After independence it was also a very painful time especially since the Fifth Brigade of Robert Mugabe was killing innocent civilians, this amounted to more than 10,000. Some of these people were my relatives.
We priests were constantly being told what was going on. It was a horrible situation. But as a priest I was not suppose speak up publicly. But in the 10th year of my ordination, Archbishop Heinrich Karlen, a missionary and my predecessor spoke up. He encouraged the other bishops to stand with him. At a certain stage, the government stopped their killing. Estimates are that between 10,000 and 20,000 innocent civilians had been killed. Some of these people were over 70 and 80 years old, which shows how merciless the dictator Mugabe is.
ITV: Does Mugabe single out Catholic clergy for harassment or intimidation?
ARCHBISHOP: Yes. This was particularly clear in the government’s reaction following the pastoral letter we Zimbabwean bishops issued condemning the violence. This letter, released on April 5, is called "God Hears the Cry of the Oppressed."
But the intimidation of clergy has been on going for a long time where clergy. We were told: "You keep to the Bible, to religious affairs, don't comment on political matters. If you want to come into politics then give up your religious garb, and be a politician and then we will deal with you properly."
ITV: The current climate in Zimbabwe, is, as you say, very tense. For these reasons, was it opportune to issue the recent pastoral letter?
ARCHBISHOP: We had long weighed the matter. A month earlier there was already a lot of tension. The bishops’ meeting, on 1 and 2 March, took time to reflect and pray about the situation. We considered a letter that had been drafted by one of the bishops around Easter time that came about as a result of earlier discussions.
It was imperative that such a letter be issued. The situation of the people was becoming worse and worse. Among the young people, there was a growing anger and, a growing sense of uncertainty and desperation. We were in the hands of a man who for 7+ years had been autocratic and using his army to be brutal on the people.
ITV: As the head of the multi-denominational coalition seeking to improve the lives of ordinary people, what is your reaction to the recent statement of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe supporting government policy?
ARCHBISHOP: That’s very hard for me to comment on because I have not seen the whole statement. I have only seen excerpts from it. So I don't really know what point they are trying to make. We feel duty bound to stand with the people in a time when there is so much suffering. In times when the humanitarian situation of the people food wise, education wise, health wise is getting worse and worse. Right now we even have a drought throughout the land, and water is becoming scarce. Those are the reasons why it was necessary for us to speak out when we did. The people are suffering.
ITV: During this crisis in your nation do you draw particular help and hope from the fact that the patroness of your diocese is the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
ARCHBISHOP: Broadly speaking, we preach the values of the kingdom of God which the Bible preaches and which Mary, the Mother of Jesus embodied. From that point of view there is a relationship. There is a lot of prayer in Zimbabwe right now - the praying of the rosary, night prayers to Our Lady for the country. In Bulawayo, we have no cloistered convents, but in Harare there is a convent of cloistered Carmelite nuns. They are the powerhouses when it comes to prayer, and I have invited some Carmelites to come over to my diocese to assist in this.
ITV: Is the Holy Father, aware of what is taking place in your country?
ARCHBISHOP: The Holy Father supports us. In 2005, the bishops of Zimbabwe had their ad limina visits to Rome -- just as Mugabe was starting to demolish houses and 700, 000 people were without accommodation. At that time I spoke with for a good 25 minutes explaining to him the human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and asking him for his prayers and support.
Later on, the Pope addressed all the bishops, even talking to each of them individually saying it was a very good thing that just at that time we had issued a letter called "The Cry of the Poor." The nuns and the papal representative in Harare also keep the Holy Father informed about of the things going on in Zimbabwe. On Easter Sunday he quoted our current letter and spoke of the need to support African development.
This interview is taken from online magazine "Inside the Vatican"
The Pope appoints Bishop of Solwezi
Vatican City,June.01,2007(CINS/Fides) - The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI on 30 May 2007 appointed Rev. Alick Banda Bishop Solwezi (Zambia). Until now the bishop elect was Chancellor of the diocese of Ndola and docent of Canon Law at various Ecclesiastical institutes in Zambia.Rev. Alick Banda was born on 15 November 1963 at Mufulira, diocese of Ndola. He attended local schools and then studied philosophy and theology at Zambia's national Seminaries St. Augustine and St. Dominic. He was ordained a priest on 7 August 1994. Since then he has ministered as follows: 1995-1997: assistant priest at the parish of St. Joseph a Kitwe and personal secretary to Bishop Dennis De Jong; 1997-2002: Studies for a doctorate in Theology at Sankt Georgen University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany; 2002-2004: parish priest at Sts. Peter and Paul at Chingola. Since 2005: Chancellor of the diocese of Ndola; docent of Canon Law at Redemptoris Mater seminary in Ndola and Kalundu Study Centre in Lusaka (for women religious of English speaking African countries).
Solwezi diocese, a suffragan of Lusaka, was created in 1976. It has an area of 125.826sq km, a population of about 750,000 including 70,400 Catholics gathered in 17 parishes, assisted by 37 priests (18 diocesan, 7 Fidei donum and 12 religious), 4 Brothers, 47 women religious and there are 18 major seminarians.
Archbishop Pius Ncube: Green Bomber militias threaten Zimbabwe Catholics
Bulawayo,Zimbabwe,June.01,2007(CINS/Cathnews) - Bulawayo Archbishop Pius Ncube says that Government-backed "Green Bomber" militias are seeking to intimidate voters ahead of Zimbabwe elections next year with Catholics around the country also facing threats.
Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, a long time critic of Mugabe's government, said that the attacks by the militias were part of a strategy of intimidation ahead of next year's presidential and parliamentary elections, IRIN reports.
"The Green Bombers (militias from youth training centres) are being used to go around to strike fear in voters so that, come next year, they will be forced to vote ZANU-PF," Ncube said, referring to the governing political party of President Robert Mugabe.
Ncube said members of his church were being harassed throughout the country and recounted a recent incident in the south-western border town of Plumtree where he had prevented ZANU-PF militias from gatecrashing a meeting he was holding with priests in the area.
He said a priest was subsequently arrested in Wedza, Mashonaland Central, for distributing the pastoral letter while members of his congregation were also detained for questioning by state security agents.
In Mashonaland East province, traditionally a ruling party stronghold, parishioners are opting to stay at home rather than attend church after militias threatened them for distributing the pastoral letter.
"They [militias] are accusing us of being members of the MDC [Movement for Democratic Change] and working to topple the government.
"It's no longer safe to worship because the militias treat you as enemies," said 55-year-old Fr Tirivafi Haka, who declined to use his real name, a church leader in Murewa, about 90km east of the capital, Harare.
Meanwhile, in Australia, the National Council of Churches National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) has added its voice to the call for a free and democratic Zimbabwe after learning of the atrocities perpetrated in the African nation, the Catholic Leader reports.
NATSIEC executive secretary Graeme Mundine said in a statement it was evident that there was a problem with the lack of democratic process in the country.
"Zimbabwe is also experiencing large scale poverty within the country, which particularly affects our Indigenous brothers and sisters," he said.
NATSIEC has asked its representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Peter Smith, to make representations on the issue of Zimbabwe.
Pope Benedict XVI:T0 Mali Bishops,Reconciliation,justice and Peace are a pressing imperative
Vatican City,May.20,2007(CINS/SIR) - “The diocesan clergy is asked to play a more and more important role in evangelization, by collaborating with missionaries in a brotherly and trustful way, whose brave commitment must be pointed out. Priests must live their sacerdotal identities by giving themselves to the Lord completely, for the disinterested service of their brothers”. Those words were spoken by Pope Benedict XVI this morning, while he received in audience the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Mali, led by Msgr. Jean-Gabriel Diarra, president of the Conference itself, on the occasion of their “ad Limina Apostolorum” visit. After recalling that “life in prayer and sacraments, for priests, is a real pastoral priority”, in relation to clergy training, Benedict XVI added: “Human training is the foundation for sacerdotal training. Paying special attention to their affection maturity will allow priests to give a free answer to the life in bachelorhood and chastity, precious gifts of God. They will also be allowed to have solid consciences throughout their whole existences”. Moreover, the Pope addressed the second Special Assembly of the Bishops’ Synod for Africa. He told them that “the believers’ commitment in the service of reconciliation, justice and peace is a pressing imperative”.
Moreover, pondering the role of laymen, Benedict XVI added: “This participation in the social change will be effective on one condition: it is necessary to train competent laymen serving common good. This training, in which awareness of the social doctrine of the Church is an essential element, must take into consideration commitment on a civil level. In this way, laymen will be able to tackle daily challenges in the political, economical, social and cultural fields”. Then, the Pope lingered on the pastoral of marriage: he said that “while the number of Christian marriages remains relatively limited (in Mali, out of 11.4 million inhabitants, the Christians are about 1% of the population – editor’s note), the Church has to help the baptized, especially the young, to understand the beauty and the dignity of this sacrament”. This will allow Christian couples – he added – to remain faithful to marriage promises”, following the model “of the faithfulness manifested by God in the indestructible alliance which He himself concluded with man”. Finally, the Pope referred to the “cordial relationships” between Catholic believers and “Muslim compatriots” (making up 80% of the population – editor’s note). Then, he wished for “the encouragement of peaceful coexistence on all society levels”.