Claims against abbot denied

SHANGHAI - The most famous Buddhist temple in China has come out against a widely circulated claim that its well-known abbot, Shi Yongxin, has a mistress, a child and a fortune of at least $3 billion in overseas bank accounts.

The Shaolin Temple, in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province, published a statement on its website on Thursday saying that recent "rumors" surrounding Shi Yongxin are groundless, "viciously fabricated" slander.

The statement was issued after heated discussions arose among netizens across the country about whether those allegations are based on fact.