His arrest Wednesday in a church in Wu Qiu village marked the fifth time in a year that the 69-year-old prelate was seized, according to the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation. He was also briefly detained Dec. 14, along with 11 priests.
According to Kung Foundation sources, the bishop is likely being held in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.
Bishop Jia was previously in jail for about 20 years and has been under surveillance for many years, the Kung Foundation said. He takes care of about 100 handicapped orphans in his house.
Joseph Kung, president of the Kung Foundation, said: «This behavior of continuing persecutions of religious believers simply is not in conformity with the behavior that must be demanded of any country, including China, that is to host Olympic Games.»
