China: Bishop released from detention

Bishop Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding, a 75-year-old bishop faithful to the Holy See, was released from detention on July 8, according to the Cardinal Kung Foundation. Bishop Jia, whose ministry is not recognized by the Chinese government, has been arrested 13 times since 2004 and had previously been imprisoned for 18 years.

China: Underground Vicar general and Nun murdered

Father Joseph Zhang Shulai, the vicar general of the underground Church in the Diocese of Ningxia, and Sister Mary Wei Yanhui, a nun, were murdered at the nursing home where they worked and in Wuhai, a city of 430,000 in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia. A Catholic layman is suspected in the murders, according to Church sources.