A Christian rights group has expressed concerns about the safety of a Vatican-approved bishop, 10 priests and an unspecified number of seminarians arrested two months ago for violation of religious rules. Their fate and location remain unknown.

The arrests came after the diocese decided to use an abandoned factory building as a seminary and assigned priests for religious formation.

International Christian Concern (ICC), a US-based Christian group monitoring persecution of Christians across the globe, issued a statement on July 16 calling for the release of the bishop, priests and seminarians.

Earlier, ICC reported that those arrested were subjected to “political lessons” that are brainwashing sessions designed to inculcate the principles of ‘religious freedom’ granted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Bishop Zhang, 63, has been leading the diocese since 1991 following his secret ordination but he faced constant pressure from Chinese authorities and was barred from observing duties as a bishop.