CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - Over the last several days the sad, confusing and now disheartening saga of a courageous man named Chen Guangcheng has filled the news. Much of the focus seems to be on who botched this entire affair diplomatically, rather than the even more important underlying issues.

Chen is a 40 year old Chinese citizen who taught himself the law and, as a human rights lawyer, courageously stands up against the evil, inhumane and barbaric forced abortion and sterilization policies of the nation he loves, the Peoples Republic of China.

Chen was released from jail in 2010 and placed under house arrest. He and his wife have been regularly  beaten by plain clothes government goons. Chen is physically blind, but sees the truth of what is happening in China better than many of our own government leaders who have the full use of their faculty of sight.

Chen has been praised by all who are concerned for the ongoing violations against fundamental human rights in mainland China, from all over the political spectrum.  Chen's plight broke into our news recently when he heroically escaped a brutal house arrest and sought asylum in the United States Embassy last month.

From there, the story gets murky. It is filled with what seem to be efforts to shift the blame for the failure to protect this heroic man, his family, and his plea for help from the government of the United States. It is further muddied by what appears to be an outright cover up by the current regime ruling China.

As for which news account to believe, I would recommend to the readers of Catholic Online the most recent account from Asia News, a very reliable Catholic News Source. Their article entitled "Chen Guangcheng seeks exile in the United States, fears revenge on his family" contains an accurate and current account of this entire botched affair.  Here is an excerpt:

"Chen's wife, Yuan Weijing, said she had been tied to a chair for two days, while members of the government of Shandong threatened to beat her to death. Already many of the assurances given by the U.S. Embassy have been betrayed. In leaving his refuge, Chen was told that his stay in hospital would be guaranteed by the presence of U.S. diplomatic officials. But today there is not one of them and the ward where he was admitted is controlled by Chinese police."

Match this account against the "official" statements from our own government and, worse yet, the obfuscation from the Chinese Communist regime. Chen's friend made it clear to Asia News, "Chen wants to leave China with his entire family." The fact is he should be able to do so, as a matter of fundamental human rights. Period!

As for who to believe from the varying accounts on Capitol Hill, I recommend Congressman Chris Smith. He is a courageous Catholic who has stood strongly on behalf of fundamental human rights for years and never backed down in his condemnation of the Chinese Communist regime. It was no surprise to me that, as this rapidly developing story unfolded on Thursday, Chen actually called the US Congress and got through, actually speaking to Congressman Chris Smith, in a live hearing through an interpreter! 

Congressman Chris Smith has faithfully served in the US House of Representatives for over 30 years. He is one Catholic politician who has remained faithful to the truth and not succumbed to the malady which seems to be communicated through the water on Capitol Hill, the loss of core values. He refuses to compromise on the fundamental human rights cause of our age, the Right to Life of our first neighbors in the first home of the whole human race. He is a defender of all who suffer as a result of the deprivation of fundamental human rights. He is a champion of human freedom for all men and women.

On his Congressional web site we read this succinct and straightforward declaration of his consistency: "As a Member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey, Chris Smith has championed the rights and interests of many - from children forced to toil in sweatshops to women kidnapped and sold into lives of prostitution to unborn children whose opportunity for life is threatened.  Smith has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and helping the world's most vulnerable."

Chris Smith has an account of this story and a recommendation to the Obama Administration  of what must be done, entitled "Chen, and the Duty to Protect" which can also be found on his site. Smith has consistently stood up to tyrant regimes, including the one currently ruling mainland China, when they fail to protect human rights. Here is an excerpt:

"The Obama Administration must do everything it can ...