Cardinal Kung Foundation

The Cardinal Kung Foundation is a not-for-profit Roman Catholic organization based in Stamford, Connecticut. Founded in 1994 by Joseph Kung, the nephew of the late Ignatius Cardinal Kung Pin-Mei, the foundation monitors the treatment of Catholics in China and that portion of the Catholic Church in China that remains loyal to the Pope. The foundation's primarily tool is to supply news reports to news agencies about various activities in China and has been instrumental in protecting and aiding many notable Catholics in China. [Townsend, Tim. (May 12, 2002) New York Times [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70610FC3B540C718DDDAC0894DA404482 Keeping a Finger On China's Pulse.] " Section: 14CN; Page 3. "In March the foundation sent out a press release detailing the disappearance of Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Hebei Province in central China. Bishop Jia, 67, had been jailed for as long as 20 years, but had been released before he disappeared. Newspapers picked up the story, and within a week of Mr. Kung's press release, the bishop was freed."] The Vatican press office has said that the Foundation is generally reliable in its reports. [cite news |first=Alexa |last=Olesen |title= Bishop who led underground Chinese congregation dies in custody |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/09/11/bishop_who_led_underground_chinese_congregation_dies_in_custody/ |publisher=Boston.com |date=2007-09-11 |accessdate=2007-09-11 |quote=The Vatican press office said it had no information on the death, but noted that the Cardinal Kung Foundation has been a reliable source of information about the underground church in China in the past. |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]

History

One of the first successful efforts by Cardinal Kung Foundation to notify the media about an issue regarding China came in January 1994. In January 1994, the Cardinal Kung Foundation notified the Associated Press that Bishop Su Zhi-Ming had recently been arrested after meeting with U.S. Congressman Chris Smith in early January 1994.Associated Press (January 28, 1994) "Chinese Bishop Arrested After Meeting Congressman."] Su has previously spent up to 15 years in prison for his participation in the underground Catholic church. The Wichita Eagle picked up the story the following day and presented it to the readers in Wichita, Kansas. [Calovich, Anne. (January 29, 1994) The Wichita Eagle "Bishop arrested in China." Section: Main News; Page 12A.]

References

* Rosenthal, Elisabeth. (October 6, 2002) New York Times " [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA061EF63E5F0C758CDDA90994DA404482 In China, Catholic Churches Flourish, but Under Controls.] " Section: 1; Page 11.
* Agence France-Presse (January 11, 1997) "China in full-scale campaign to wipe out secret Catholics: report BEIJING, Jan 11 (AFP) - China has launched a hard-hitting campaign to wipe out all trace of its unauthorized Catholic church, the US-based Cardinal Kung Foundation said Saturday." Section: International.
* Agence France-Presse (November 7, 1997) "Chinese Roman Catholic bishop remains in detention in northern China BEIJING, Nov 7 (AFP) - Roman Catholic bishop Su Zhimin, arrested in China early last month, was being detained in the northern city of Baoding, despite Vatican reports of his release, the US-based Cardinal Kung Foundation said Friday." Section: International.
*Associated Press (March 12, 2000) "Cardinal Kung , long imprisoned Catholic crusader in China, dies at 98."

External links

* [http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/ Cardinal Kung Foundation]