Reports: Beijing Releases Unofficial Chinese Roman Catholic Bishop
Published reports say a bishop belonging to China's underground Roman Catholic church has been released from a Chinese prison after 10 months. Reports by Catholic-affiliated news outlets say bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo returned to his home this week in the northern city of Zhengding, in Hebei province. Authorities have also allowed the bishop to receive visits from priests from his diocese.
Jia is believed to be at least 70 years old. He has been arrested eight times over the past two years, apparently for refusing to join China's state-approved church, known as the Catholic Patriotic Association. The bishop's latest detention began in November last year.
Reports say that earlier this year, Jia was taken to a hospital for medical treatment, but remained in police custody. Jia was ordained as a bishop of China's underground church in 1980. Beijing only allows Catholics to belong to government-controlled churches, but many Chinese Catholics remain loyal to the Vatican and worship in unofficial churches and private homes.
发表的报导说，属于中国地下罗马天主教会的一名主教，在被关押10个月后被从监狱释放。隶属于天主教的新闻媒体报导说，贾治国主教本星期回到了在河北省正定市的家中。当局还允许他教区的牧师到他家中去探访。
贾治国据信至少已有70岁。在过去两年里，他先后8次被捕，显然是因为拒绝加入中国官方批准的教会中国天主教爱国会。贾治国最近这次被拘捕是去年11月。
报导说，今年早些时候贾治国曾被送到医院就医，但仍处于警方监管之下。贾治国1980年被任命为中国地下天主教会的主教。北京只允许天主教徒属于政府控制的教会，但是中国的许多天主教徒坚持效忠梵蒂冈，在非官方教会或是私人家中祈祷。
