Hong Kong (AsiaNews/UCAN) – A young priest of the unofficial church in Wenzhou diocese, eastern China, has been freed after nearly six years in detention.
A Catholic source in China said on June 22 Fr Vincent Kong Guocun was freed on June 8 due to ill health. Fr Kong, 34, had been kept under house arrest since 20 October 1999. The arrest came barely two years after he was ordained on 31 August 1997.
During the early days of his detention, Fr Kong was isolated from outside contact. It was only later that his parents were allowed to pay him occasional visits, the source said, explaining that government officials alleged Fr Kong was "too stubborn" and was not cooperative.
Fr Kong's five-year and eight-month detention is the second longest among the Wenzhou clergy. Unofficial bishop, Mgr James Lin Xili is still confined to the cathedral of the official Wenzhou community. The 84-year-old bishop has not enjoyed freedom of movement since September 1999. Mgr Lin has Alzheimer's disease. Some Catholics maintain his sickness is due to tortures he suffered in prison.

Fr Ding Zhaohua, another priest of the underground Wenzhou church is still under arrest in a hotel, where the authorities placed him in January 2001.
According to information procured by AsiaNews, today there are 18 bishops and 20 priests who have disappeared in the hands of the police, in isolation or unable to exercise their ministry. At the beginning of March, our agency launched an international campaign to call for their release.

 There are at least eight million Catholics in China who adhere to the underground church. According to government statistics, there are four million Catholics in the official church.