Monsignor Xie Shiguang, Bishop of Mingdong, Requiescat in pace.

One more reason why the One, True Church must never surrender the poor enslaved souls of China to the commies' puppet church.

An elderly Chinese bishop who was imprisoned for some 28 years and then kept under surveillance by the Chinese government for more than a decade has died, Vatican Radio reported Saturday.

It said that Monsignor Xie Shiguang, the bishop of Mingdong, died of leukemia on Thursday. Xie, 88, was first arrested in 1955 by Chinese authorities "because of his loyalty and obedience to the pope," and released a year later, the radio report said.

He was next arrested in 1958 and stayed jail until his release in 1980, Vatican Radio said. Xie was also jailed from 1984-1987, and finally for two years starting in 1990, and was kept under surveillance by authorities until his death, the radio report said.

The Vatican praised Xie as a "courageous witness to Christ."

The chronicle of Xie's suffering comes against a backdrop of maneuvering to improve relations between the Holy See and Beijing. Relations were severed in 1951 shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is permitted in government-controlled churches. Chinese who are loyal to the pope join unofficial congregations, which risk persecution. Priests and bishops have been arrested.

The new pope, Benedict XVI, has made it clear he wants to bring China's estimated 12 million Catholics under Rome's wing.

China has said it would like better relations with the Holy See, but it wants the Vatican to cut diplomatic ties to Taiwan. (Thanks to Yahoo!News.)