World Tibet Network News Wednesday, May 13, 1998

By Grant McCool

NEW YORK (Reuters) - China has released a leading religious prisoner in another apparent attempt to ease human rights criticism ahead of President Clinton's visit to China in June, a U.S. religious leader said Sunday.

Roman Catholic Bishop Zeng Jingmu, 78, of Shanghai was freed Saturday, six months before the end of his three-year sentence for holding unauthorized services in a private home, New York Rabbi Arthur Schneier said.

Schneier, one of three U.S. clerics who visited China in February, said Zeng "was very much on top of our list" of religious leaders believed to have been detained by the communist government for reasons of faith.

Zeng was sentenced without trial, and Schneier said he was freed because of poor health and age. He said he received the news Saturday in a call from James Sasser, the U.S. ambassador to China.

"Any progress on any of the religious freedom issues that my colleagues and I raised during our mission to China can only add momentum to the evolving Sino-American relationship to be climaxed by President Clinton's visit in June," said Schneier.

Since the 1950s, Zeng has spent more than 20 years behind bars for openly proclaiming his allegiance to the Vatican and not submitting to the state-sponsored church.

In recent months, China has sought to ease concerns about human rights before Clinton's visit by releasing prominent dissidents Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan. Both men were freed on medical parole and exiled.

While in China, Schneier, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick of Newark, New Jersey, and Don Argue, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, gave Chinese officials a list of religious leaders they wanted released.

The delegation, appointed by Clinton, returned from their tour of Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong and Lhasa in Tibet saying that China was paying new attention to religion. But they said special focus was needed on freedom of faith in Tibet.

"I pray that the release of the bishop bodes well also for some of the other religious leaders who were on our list," said Schneier. He declined to discuss the other prisoners out of fear he would harm their chances for release.

Religious activity in China is supposed to be controlled by the state, and organizers of unofficial churches have been severely punished.

The Beijing government recognizes Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, but requires citizens to register their affiliation with the state.

There are 100 million people in China, about 10 percent of the population, with government-recognized religious affiliations, according to official estimates.