Communist authorities in China have detained a “patriotic” Catholic priest, Father Ma Xianshi, for allegedly distributing a sacred hymn book without state approval — a move critics say underscores Beijing’s intensifying crackdown on religious freedom.
According to AsiaNews, Fr. Ma has been in detention since November 2024. Authorities accused him of distributing Tianlu Miaoyin (“Heavenly Melodies”) — a hymnal in circulation since 2001 — to another province without state authorization.
The case has raised alarm among Chinese Catholics, quoted by AsiaNews, especially in light of the complicated relationship between China and the Vatican. As CatholicVote previously reported, the 2018 Vatican-China Provisional Agreement stipulates that bishops must be jointly approved by the Vatican and Chinese authorities.
Fr. Ma was previously recognized by the Party as “the leader of the local Catholic community” and served as vice president of the Zhejiang Catholic Affairs Committee until his arrest. His detention follows the March arrest of Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin, the Vatican-appointed bishop of Wenzhou in the same province, who was detained after celebrating a Jubilee Mass without state permission. Bishop Shao, unlike Fr. Ma, was never recognized by the Chinese government.
AsiaNews reported that some sources believe Fr. Ma’s “real crime is insufficient loyalty to the Party.”
A lawyer claimed in a February video on Chinese platform Baidu that Fr. Ma could face a sentence of 6.5 years, AsiaNews reported. The lawyer also questioned whether Fr. Ma should be financially liable for the hymnal’s distribution, noting the book had the backing of an official bishop.
The hymnals were distributed through a Catholic company founded by Wenzhou Catholic Zhuang Qiantuan, who was also arrested.
AsiaNews reported that other sources claim the government has circulated unverified allegations accusing Fr. Ma of secretly holding 200 million Yuan (about $28 million USD) in personal accounts, in an attempt to discredit the priest.
“Fr Ma’s only ‘mistake’ seem[s] to be his loyalty to the Church and its principles,” the outlet wrote.
A trial was scheduled for July 1 in Yiwu but was postponed after more than 300 Catholics from Wenzhou requested to attend.
Churches in the region are now under constant video surveillance, while children are prohibited from entering churches and doctrinal teachings are being sidelined, according to AsiaNews.
The date of Fr. Ma’s profession is unknown at the time of this reporting. If convicted, sources say he will be stripped of his priestly certification.
The post Communist authorities arrest Catholic ‘patriotic’ priest in China appeared first on CatholicVote org.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Elise DeGeeter
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://catholicvote.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
