Two Chinese Priest Arrested

(DeepikaGlobal.com) – Chinese police arrested two underground Catholic priests last week in Hebei province, the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation announced today. The religious rights organization said in a statement the two priests Lu Genjun, 42, and Cheng Xiaoli, 40, were taken into custody on May 14, in An Guo, in northern Hebei province. The two men were arrested as they were about to attend classes on family planning and moral theology, the group said. Lu Genjun had been arrested twice earlier, once in 1998 and again in 2001, when he was held for three years at a labour camp in Hebei . He had just been released from the labour camp when he was arrested last week. Foundation President Joseph Kung said that despite repeated efforts by the Catholic Church to open dialogue with Chinese officials on religious freedom, detentions have continued. ”It is disappointing to see China again arresting these two underground priests within such a short time,” Kung said. ”The arrest of Father Lu and Father Cheng is yet another ongoing religious persecution in China . This proves that religious persecution is not something of the past. It is still there.