Changing Church-State Relations in Contemporary China: A Case Study of the Cangzhou Diocese

Abstract

The Eighth National Congress of Catholic Representatives (NCCR) was scheduled to take place December 7–9, 2010, in accordance with the dictates of the Chinese government. On December 6, government officials and police officers went to the bishop's office in Xian County, Hebei Province, intending to escort Bishop Li Liangui of Cangzhou Diocese to the NCCR in Beijing. However, they could not find him. A few weeks earlier, on November 20, Bishop Li was coerced into taking part in an Episcopal ordination in Chengde, which was arranged by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) but was not approved by the Vatican. It was during this time that Bishop Li “disappeared.” Frustrated by Bishop Li's disappearance, government officials and police officers rounded up the priests who were working in the bishop's office, including the vicar general, Father Yang Quanen, and the chancellor, Father Yu Rusong, and questioned them about the whereabouts of Bishop Li. Their questioning was to no avail. The priests were given an “ultimatum,” threatening to list Bishop Li as a “wanted person” across the country and to cause trouble for the bishop's family, friends, and the diocese. On December 7, government officials and police officers again entered the bishop's office to question everyone, including the priests, doorkeepers, and kitchen staff. Police cars patrolled the area nearby, and the freedom of all personnel in the church was restricted, including the nuns who had to show their identity cards to the police officers when they went out.1 In the end, Bishop Li did not attend the three-day NCCR.