Why are Catholic bishops arrested in China?

Answer 1

China doesn't just arrest Catholic bishops, but Christians and Jewish people, and others as well.

Vatican condemns Chinese arrests
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3833861.stm

Chinese Catholics 'detained'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3217731.stm

China: Religious Persecution Persists
http://www.hrw.org/summaries/s.china9512.html

Persecuted Countries: China - Persecution.org -
http://www.persecution.org/suffering/countryinfodetail.php?countrycode=16

China's Christians suffer for their faith
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3993857.stm

Answer 2

The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPA, CPCA, or CCPA) is a division of the People's Republic of China's Religious Affairs Bureau to exercise state supervision over mainland China's Catholics. The Communist Party of China wants no organization in mainland China owing allegiance to "foreign influence", in this case, every other Catholic on the planet including the Pope.

Ever since it's creation in the 1950's, the Catholic Church has deplored the attitude and activities of the Association and declared the bishops who participated in consecrating new bishops selected by the Association to be excommunicated.

It is estimated that there are 13 million Catholics in China, 8 million following the underground church still loyal to Rome and 5 million following the officially sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

The Catholic bishop that was arrested was one of the underground ones that are loyal to the Pope and the other 1.1 billion Catholics in the world.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070823/wl_asia_afp/chinareligionrightsvatican_070823082504

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

Because they are part of an alternative (to the PRC government) power structure, outside the power of the regime, namely the Worldwide Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican. They want to have influence on which people become bishops and things like that, for example.