ABSTRACT
Only those religious groups that register with the Chinese government are allowed to practice their religions. Beijing, Sept. 1, 2000. China has arrested a priest, 20 nuns and three others from an underground Catholic church in southern Fujian province, in an ongoing crackdown on religious groups refusing to adhere to Communist Party ideology, a rights group said Friday. Police arrested Father Lin Shozhang Wednesday and beat him severely, causing him to vomit blood, US-based Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement sent to Beijing. The Foundation said China has recently begun a new crackdown to force members of underground Roman Catholic Church to register with the Chinese government and join the Patriotic Association, which was set up to monitor and force religious groups to conform to Communist Party ideology. Two Catholic churches co-exist in China. The official one pledging allegiance to the Communist Party and rejecting the authority of pope has between four and five million members, according to Beijing.
