Last week, a Catholic priest and bishop were arrested in China – AsiaNews has more on the story today.

Later at night, from 2 to 4 am, some 500 police officers started rounding up people. They again arrested Father Li, who had returned to his church, and another 90 people.

At least 20 of them are still in prison with Father Li. Bishop Yao is still held in some unknown location and another priest from the diocese, Fr Wang Zhong, has also gone missing.

A pilgrimage to Mount Muozi in Inner Mongolia was behind the police operation. For more than century the diocese had organised the event but this year the RAB and the police banned it.

Hebei province has the highest number of Catholics in China (about 1.5 million), mostly in the underground Church, who refuse the control by the Patriotic Association. For this reason, the latter has recently launched a campaign in the province to arrest bishops, priests and faithful in order to force them to submit.