China sentences "underground" priest to 3-year term
Beijing, Nov. 26, 2007

(CWNews.com) - A Chinese Catholic priest has been sentenced to a 3-year prison term for unauthorized religious activities-- pastoral work in the "underground" Church-- the AsiaNews service reports.

Father Wang Zhong of the Xiwanze diocese, in China's Hebei province, was prosecuted for consecrating a new parish church. Although he had a valid building permit from the government's religious-affairs bureau, the priest was evidently charged because he does not recognize the authority of the government-affiliated Catholic Patriotic Association.
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