Several international groups strongly condemned the reported beatings of a group of 16 nuns in China, as five of them remain hospitalised in serious condition.
The attack on the nuns was first brought to light by Italy-based Catholic news agency AsiaNews on Monday, Nov. 28. According to its report, 16 nuns of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sacred Heart Missionaries in downtown of the Xian City, Shanxi Province were injured, after a group of 40 young thugs repeatedly beat them on the night of Nov. 23.According to the Nov. 30 report, the incident of nuns being attacked has not been reported on any of the Chinese newspapers. Moreover, a Chinese Catholic website that has posted a detailed report of the incident was closed on Wednesday. Even after the site had reopened, the news was no longer available.
Nevertheless, being widely reported by foreign press, the persecution has drawn attention from international community. Chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the attack, according to Reuters.
"The violence used in Xian against defenseless nuns can only be condemned in the strongest of terms," Navarro-Valls stated.
As the attack on the nuns comes just days after some priests were arrested in other provinces, the Vatican expressed deep concern. Navarro-Valls added in the statement that the Vatican was "very worried" because "the authorities had not yet provided an explanation for their arrest," Reuters reported.
The All Christian Union of India (ACUI), which represents all Catholic and Protestant organisations in India, also released a statement yesterday, expressing solidarity with the Church in Xian.John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union (AICU), the largest and oldest organization of lay Catholics in Asia said, "The Indian Catholic community condemns the attacks perpetrated against the Catholic Church and its members in the People’s Republic of China," according to an statement from AICU obtained by AsiaNews.
