In the early afternoon of the 20th of May, at least one hundred police officers from the cities of Cangzhou, Hejian, and Shaheqiao surrounded the Xinxiang Prefectural Seminary in the latter city. Without a space of its own, it uses a small factory owned by one of the local Catholics.

Officers went inside and arrested four priests and three other people who were ministering there. Ten seminarians were also arrested. Pursuant to the New Regulations on Religious Activities, the plant was closed, and its director was arrested.

The Chinese government has not yet recognised Xinxiang Apostolic Prefecture, inhabited by approximately one hundred thousand Catholics; therefore, all activities of priests, seminarians and believers are considered “illegal” and “criminal”.

According to the civil authorities, a group of seminarians have managed to hide and are currently being hunted for in and around the city. Security agents and policemen are going  from door to door looking for “fugitives”. If, by chance, they find signs of Catholic faith somewhere, e.g. crosses, statues, religious pictures, photos of the Pope, etc., their owners are punished with fines and the items are taken away and destroyed.

Source: pch24.pl