NEW PERSECUTION SPREADING

Peking Radio gives another warning to Legion of Mary
EKING Radio has been giving shore information about the new persecution of the Church in China —persecution directed at Chinese Catholics, priests and laity instead of against foreign missionaries.
First detailed news was brought to Hong Kong on September 18 by an expelled Belgian missionary, Fr. Lyis Dehmlow's He told of the arrest in Shanghai of a Bishop. 23 priests and between 200 and 300 laity.
The Bishop. it is now known, is Mgr. :gime Kting, first Chinese Bishop of Shanghai. Formerly Bishop of Soochow. Mgr. Kung courageously accepted his appointment to Shanghai knowing what svas in store for him. He Prepared himself for the ordeal by it spiritual retreat lasting 30 days.
NIGHT RAID
About ii dozen of the 23 priests are lop/mese Jesuits.
They were captured on the night of September 8 when all the religious houses in the city were raided.
Mans of the arrested Christians are students who have refused to accuse Chinese and foreign missionaries.
In the following week Peking Radio stilted that a large group of Catholics, amongst them a Chinese priest. had been arrested because of " counter-revolutionan activities."
On September 14. Peking Radio announced: " If Chinese Catholics do not withdraw from the Legion of Mary and from all similar counter revolutionary activities they will be very severely punished."
On the following day the radio announced the arrest of seven indis Wends " who had infiltrated Catholic organisations in order Ii, carry on anti-resolutionary activities." Four were arrested in Fukien, three in Chekiang, The radio denounced them all as " faithful running dogs of the imperialists."
Peking Radio has also stated that the police in Tsinan, Shantung, had uncovered an organisation calling itself " the China Demos cratic Parts," alleging that this organisation. under the cloak of
religion. was engaged in antires olutionary activity.
The radio added: " The six ringleaders of this criminal organisation have been arrested. The principal aim of the orgenisa. lion was to attack the Communist Parts. Its organisers are Catholics, landlords, refugees and those tinder sun eillance."
TWO ARRESTED
On the same day, Peking announced the arrest of two ringleaders or a Catholic (organisation in Shantung, says
inn: " They ridiculed Communist Party officials and sneered at the new society as being a hell on earth."
The radio added that one of those arrested was Fr. Lieyuin-chou, of the Lintsing diocese.
Only 43 are left out of 8000: 2 English nuns
Latest information shows that only 43 foreign nitacionaries are left in China. In 1949 there were 3.000 missionary oriests, 3.000 lay-brothers and 2.000 sisters. Eighty or more Bishops have been expelled. Only two arc left. One is Bishop Pinger. American, who is in jail. The other, also an American, Bishop Walsh. is still free.
Seventeen of the 24 priests left arc in jail.
Only one lashrother is left—Bro. Csazar. a Hungarian in Shanghai.
The 16 sisters remaining include two from England. Sister Helen Hanlon and Sister Catherine Rogan. Both are in Peking. They are accompanied by the sole remaining Irish sister, Sister Molly O'Sullivan.