Chinese authorities have kidnapped Catholic Bishop Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou, according to the report by an international journal on Tuesday, 26 October. The 58-year-old prelate was taken by the authorities. This is not the first time kidnapping him; he has been arrested several times since he was appointed in 2016.
The abductions of religious leaders usually take place in the evening of the major Catholic events like Christmas, Easter, the Feast of Assumption, All Souls’ and All Saints’ Day. In recent years the authority has blocked the entrance to the Wenzhou cemetery ahead of All Souls’ Day to prevent Catholics from gathering. Earlier this year Bishop Jospeph Zhang Weizhu of Xinxiang disappeared for months. Later the Chinese officials detained him along with other clergy and seminarians opposed to joining the state-run church.