A Catholic priest of the so-called ‘underground’ church, was reportedly arrested in the past few days in eastern China. It was reported by the Catholic News Agency ‘UCA News’, which specified that on June 16, public security officials arrested Father Lu Xiaozhou of the "underground" Church as he went that afternoon to Wenzhou City Hospital (1,416 kilometers southeast of Beijing) to anoint the sick. Sources said the security officials went to the priest's house later that afternoon and removed all his belongings including documents. Father Xiaozhou was transferred to the custody of the Religious Affairs Bureau the next day, with the probable intention of forcing him to sign an agreement letter to join the government-recognized Catholic Patriotic Association. According to the UCA News agency, he will not be released soon if he does not sign such a letter. The association is a body of the government-approved "open" Church. Meanwhile, Human Rights in China (HRIC), an NGO based in the United States, reported 12 Protestants belonging to a "house church" were arrested June 6. House churches are not affiliated to the China Christian Council, the government-approved administrative body for the Protestant Church in China. Members worship in houses or other venues not registered as churches. Eight of the 12 arrested, including Huang Changshou, Huang Guojie, Huang Shaoxian, Huang Tingyi, Huang Yuting and Wang Qiyou, are members of a house church in Nanong village, Funing county, in Yunnan province. Funing is 2,084 kilometers southwest of Beijing. Family members of Wang and seven others received notices from the Funing County Public Security Bureau informing them that the eight were being detained indefinitely for engaging in feudalistic superstition. The other four were said to be placed under detention for 15 days. Communist China officially endorses religious freedom but only recognises the authority of state religious organisations. It broke off relations with the Vatican half a century ago. The Vatican estimates Communist China has about eight million Catholics loyal to the Holy See, compared with just 5 million in the State-backed Catholic Church.