Despite appeals from religious freedom groups, Chinese authorities continued their crackdown on a prominent house church, stopping hundreds of Christians from holding Easter services outdoors on Sunday.
Dozens from the 1,000-member Shouwang Church, one of Beijing's largest unregistered Protestant churches, were detained while at least 500 were confined to their homes, according to China Aid Association.
"We are deeply disappointed that the Chinese authorities chose to disrupt peaceful worshippers who were simply celebrating Easter today," said China Aid founder and president Pastor Bob Fu in a statement Sunday.
"By doing this, Chinese government again demonstrates its total disregard for Chinese citizens’ basic religious freedom and freedom of assembly. We continue to call upon the free world to stand firm in solidarity with the persecuted faithful in China."
This is the third week in a row that Shouwang members were kept from worshipping. Though aware of the risks, the evangelical church began scheduling outdoor services this month after government intervention made it impossible for the church to secure an indoor meeting place. Shouwang has been evicted from several rented locations.
Ahead of Easter services, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom appealed to the Chinese government to allow Christians to proceed with their worship during Christianity's holiest week without harassment or detention.
To read more, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment