28.05.2008 - Source: Amnesty International

Repression against Catholics and Protestants ("Annual Report 2008") [ID 23546]

"Underground Protestant house church meetings were frequently disrupted by the police, participants often detained and beaten, and the churches sometimes destroyed.
Hua Huaiqi, a Beijing-based house church leader, was sentenced in a closed trial in June to six months in prison for obstructing justice. He was reportedly beaten in jail. His 76-year-old mother, who protested against her son’s treatment, was herself sentenced to two years in prison for destruction of public and private property after her cane struck the headlight of an oncoming police car.
Members of China’s unofficial Catholic church were repressed. An elderly Catholic bishop, Han Dingxiang, died in custody under suspicious circumstances after more than 20 years in jail. He was quickly cremated by local authorities.
Religious adherents of all beliefs had difficulty getting legal counsel, as lawyers willing to take up such sensitive cases were often harassed, detained and imprisoned."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Authorities often disrupted house church meetings and retreats; detained, beat, and harassed leaders and church members ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23310]

"Local authorities' handling of Protestant "house churches" varied in different regions of the country. In some regions unregistered house churches with hundreds of members met openly, with the full knowledge of local authorities, who characterized the meetings as informal gatherings. In other areas house church meetings of more than a handful of family members and friends were strictly proscribed. Leaders of unauthorized groups were sometimes the target of abuse. Authorities often disrupted house church meetings and retreats; detained, beat, and harassed leaders and church members; and confiscated the personal property of house church leaders and members. House churches were more likely to encounter difficulties when their membership grew, when they arranged for the regular use of facilities for the purpose of conducting religious activities, or when they forged links with other unregistered groups.
In February police and local RAB officials reportedly raided a prayer meeting at a private home in Jiangsu Province. When some of the individuals at the meeting refused to give their names, police reportedly beat them. Police also forced the owner of the home to sign a statement agreeing not to hold religious activities in his home. In March and December, authorities in Beijing and in several provinces reportedly detained and interrogated members of the China House Church Alliance about their connections to foreigners and about alleged plans to disrupt the 2008 Olympic Games.
In May police in Aksu, XUAR, reportedly arrested about 30 house church leaders who had met with overseas Christians. Six of the house church leaders were accused of involvement in "evil cult activities," and two were abused during interrogation. During a closed trial in June, a Beijing court sentenced house church activist Hua Huaiqi to six months in prison for obstruction of justice. Police reportedly beat him in jail and poured cold water over him in frigid weather. In July and August, at least 17 house church leaders in eight provinces were reportedly detained as part of a "strike hard" campaign against unauthorized religious activity. Christian attorney Li Heping reported that, on September 29, a group of men ordered him to stop practicing law, beat him, and struck him with electric batons for nearly five hours. Li, who went into hiding after the attack, was a prominent advocate in religious freedom and human rights cases. On November 18, public security bureau officers in Henan detained 40 church leaders from the China Gospel Fellowship. In June 2006 Henan Province house church pastor Zhang Rongliang was convicted of obtaining a passport through fraud and of illegal border crossing and sentenced to prison."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Harassment of unregistered Catholic bishops, priests, and laypersons continued, including government surveillance and detentions ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23311]

"Harassment of unregistered Catholic bishops, priests, and laypersons continued, including government surveillance and detentions. In March police detained Bishop Wu Qinjing, the bishop of Zhouzhi, Shaanxi Province. His whereabouts remained unknown. On March 9, a government document stated that Bishop Wu should not run any church affairs as a bishop or interfere with the Zhouzhi diocese management. In June police detained 73-year-old Jia Zhiguo, an underground bishop of the diocese of Zhengding, Hebei Province, and held him for 17 days in an unknown location. In July officials in Inner Mongolia detained three priests, Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong, and a third individual whose name has not been reported, who had fled from Hebei Province. On July 30, 82-year-old Bishop Yao Liang was arrested, and he remained in detention at year's end. In August Bishop Jia Zhiguo reportedly was again detained and held without charge until December 14. In September underground Bishop Han Dingxiang, who reportedly suffered from cancer and had been under house arrest or other forms of detention for nearly eight years, died at a hospital while under police custody. There was no new information about unregistered Bishop Su Zhimin, who has been unaccounted for since his reported detention in 1997. The government had not responded to reports that Bishop Su died in June 2006."

Document(s): Open document

10.10.2007 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Both unregistered Catholics and registered clergy remain subject to government harassment, and in some cases, detention ("Annual Report 2007") [ID 21321]

see report for further details

"Both unregistered Catholics and registered clergy remain subject to government harassment, and in some cases, detention. The Commission noted an increase in reported detentions of unregistered Catholics in 2005, after the Regulation on Religious Affairs entered into force.69 In June 2007, the public security bureau detained Jia Zhiguo, underground bishop of the Diocese of Zhending, in Hebei province, for 17 days.70 Authorities detained him again in August as he prepared to lead meetings to discuss a letter Pope Benedict XVI issued to Chinese Catholics in June.71 Jia previously spent more than 20 years in prison.72 In 2006, the government increased pressure on registered bishops and priests to coerce them to participate in bishop consecrations without papal approval. Authorities detained, sequestered, threatened, or otherwise exerted pressure on registered Catholic clerics to obtain compliance.73 Authorities have pressured both unregistered clergy and lay practitioners to join registered churches or face repercussions such as restricting children's access to school, job dismissal, fines, and detention."

Document(s): Open document

10.10.2007 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Authorities continue to target some unregistered Protestant communities for harassment, detention, and other abuses ("Annual Report 2007") [ID 21323]

see report for further details

"Authorities continue to target some unregistered Protestant communities for harassment, detention, and other abuses. A July 2007 report from a district within Shanghai called on authorities to strengthen control over grassroots religious activity and singled out private Protestant gatherings for monitoring and regulation.106 The China Aid Association (CAA), a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that monitors religious freedom in China, recorded 600 detentions of unregistered Protestants in China during 2006. It noted that the figure represents a decline from over 2,000 detentions recorded in 2005, but attributed the decrease to a new strategy of targeting church leaders over practitioners and interrogating practitioners on the spot rather than formally arresting them.107 The CAA found that 18 people were sentenced to more than a year of imprisonment in 2006.108 In 2007, seven police officers attacked and wounded Beijing house church pastor and farmer advocate Hua Huiqi and his 76-year-old mother Shuang Shuying.109 Officials charged Hua, who had been previously detained by local officials, with obstruction of justice and sentenced him to six months in prison. Shuang was charged with willfully damaging property and sentenced to two years in prison. An overseas report in August 2007 indicated that police were using Shuang's imprisonment as leverage to pressure Hua to become a police informant. In September, authorities reportedly denied Shuang medical parole despite her poor health.110 In October, CAA reported that authorities placed Hua under house arrest on October 1 and informed him that his mother's imprisonment was intended to pressure Hua to stop his activism. CAA reported Shuang had been beaten in prison.111 Gong Shengliang, founder of the South China Church, continues to serve a life sentence for alleged assault and rape, and is reported to be in poor health.112 Authorities released Liu Fenggang from prison in February 2007 after he served a three-year sentence for reporting on the government demolition of house churches.113 CAA reported that authorities later placed him under house arrest, starting on October 1, 2007."

Document(s): Open document

14.09.2007 - Source: US Department of State

5.3 million persons registered with the official Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) ("International Religious Freedom Report 2007") [ID 21158]

"There are 5.3 million persons registered with the official Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA), and it is estimated that there are an equal or greater number who worship in unregistered Catholic churches affiliated with the Vatican. According to official sources, the government-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association has more than 70 bishops, almost 3,000 priests and nuns, 6,000 churches and meeting places, and 12 seminaries. There are thought to be approximately 40 bishops operating "underground," some of whom are in prison or under house arrest. A Vatican representative estimated that there are 8 to 18 million Catholics in the country"

Document(s): Open document

14.09.2007 - Source: US Department of State

According to NGO reports number of Christians had reached 130 million by the end of 2006 ("International Religious Freedom Report 2007") [ID 21159]

"Officials from the Three-Self Patriotic Movement/China Christian Council (TSPM/CCC), the state-approved Protestant religious organization, estimated that at least 20 million citizens worship in official churches. Government officials stated that there are more than 50,000 registered TSPM churches and 18 TSPM theological schools. According to NGO reports, SARA Director Ye Xiaowen reported to audiences at Beijing University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences that the number of Christians had reached 130 million by the end of 2006, including about 20 million Catholics."

Document(s): Open document

22.06.2007 - Source: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Query response on reports of raids on Protestant house churches; frequency and location of raids ("Reports of raids on Protestant house churches; frequency and location of raids (2005 - 2007) [CHN102492.E]") [ID 21965]

Document(s): Open document

13.06.2007 - Source: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Query response on the treatment of "ordinary" Christian house church members by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) ("Treatment of "ordinary" Christian house church members by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) (2005 - 2007) [ CHN102491.E]") [ID 21968]

Document(s): Open document

08.05.2007 - Source: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Query response whether a person detained at an underground church meeting would have his or her name placed in the Public Security Bureau (PSB) database ("Whether a person detained at an underground church meeting would have his or her name placed in the Public Security Bureau (PSB) database [CHN102493.E]") [ID 21970]

Document(s): Open document

27.04.2007 - Source: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Query response on the Chinese Patriotic Church; whether the Chinese Patriotic Church pledges its loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party first as opposed to God or Jesus; differences between the Chinese Patriotic Church and the unregistered Christian churches ("The Chinese Patriotic Church; whether the Chinese Patriotic Church pledges its loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party first as opposed to God or Jesus; differences between the Chinese Patriotic Church and the unregistered Christian churches [ CHN102494.E]") [ID 21971]

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Handling of Protestant "house churches" varies widely ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19097]

"Local authorities' handling of unregistered religious groups, especially Protestant "house churches," varied widely. In certain regions government supervision of religious activity was minimal, and registered and unregistered Protestant and Catholic churches existed openly side-by-side and were treated similarly by the authorities. In such areas many congregants worshipped in both types of churches; congregants in unregistered churches were also able to procure Bibles at official churches. In some parts of the country, unregistered house churches with hundreds of members met openly, with the full knowledge of local authorities, who characterized the meetings as informal gatherings. In other areas house church meetings of more than a handful of family members and friends were strictly proscribed. House churches often encountered difficulties when their membership grew, when they arranged for the regular use of facilities for the purpose of conducting religious activities, or when they forged links with other unregistered groups.

Leaders of unauthorized groups were sometimes the target of harassment, interrogation, detention, and physical abuse. Authorities frequently disrupted house church meetings and retreats, detained and questioned leaders and church members, and confiscated the personal property of house church leaders and members. During the year thousands of house church members were detained; a large number of these detentions occurred in Henan Province.

Henan Province house Christian pastor Zhang Rongliang was convicted in June of obtaining a passport through fraud and of illegal border crossing. He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison. Beijing-based house church Christian Liu Fenggang, who was convicted in August 2004 with Xu Yonghai and Zhang Shenqi on charges of disclosing state secrets, remained in prison. Liu provided an overseas Chinese magazine information about abuse of Christians in the country. In February Lou Yuanqi was reportedly detained for holding unauthorized church services in Xinjiang. In April Li Huimin was reportedly sentenced to reeducation in Henan Province for holding house church meetings at his home. In May several house church activists were detained in Henan Province's Fugou County, while several others remained under detention. Persons associated with Protestant Christian worship outside government-approved venues also were subject to detention or abuse.

In July and August, according to the China Aid Association, authorities in several provinces detained Protestant house church members. On July 19, Henan Province authorities reportedly raided a house church in Zhumadian, questioning more than 60 church members. On July 21, Hubei Province officials reportedly raided a house church meeting, questioning 20 church members. Officials later placed 10 church members under administrative detention lasting from 10 to 15 days. On July 24, Yunnan Province authorities reportedly detained four house church members. On July 27, Anhui Province officials reportedly raided a house church Sunday school, questioning approximately 40 individuals. Officials also placed pastors Cai Yili and Li Lizhong in administrative detention for 16 days. On August 19, officials from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region reportedly raided a house church, confiscating church property and warning church members that they could only meet at registered churches."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Harassment of unregistered Catholic priests ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19098]

"As in previous years, there were reports that a number of Catholic priests, lay leaders, and laypersons were beaten or otherwise abused. In some localities, authorities reportedly pressured unregistered clergy and laypersons to renounce ordinations approved by the Holy See, join the official church, or face a variety of punishments including fines, job loss, and detentions. On September 11, Bishop Wu Qinjing, who was ordained in October 2005 with approval from the Holy See but without government permission, was detained for five days and forced to sign a document stating that his ordination was illegal.

Harassment of unregistered Catholic bishops, priests, and laypersons, including government surveillance and detentions, continued. On July 2, authorities detained unregistered Bishop Jia Zhiguo for the tenth time since 2004; he was released on September 27. Bishop Yao Liang, who is 82 years old, was arrested on July 30 and remained under detention at year's end. There was no new information about unregistered Bishop Su Zhimin, who has been unaccounted for since his reported detention in 1997. In June an unverified press report circulated that Bishop Su had died in custody. The government did not respond to requests for information in the case. Bishop An Shuxin, Bishop Su's auxiliary bishop, was released on August 24, after 10 years in prison. Officials permitted Bishop An's release when he accepted recognition by the government and did not force him to register with the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA). In late September unregistered Catholic priests Shao Zhoumin and Jiang Sunian were detained in Shenzhen upon their return from Europe. Sources also reported that Bishop Zhang Weizhu, Father Cui Xing, and Father Wang Quanjun remained detained in Hebei Province. According to the foreign-based Cardinal Kung Foundation, the whereabouts of Bishop Zhao Zhendong, who was detained in December 2004, remained unknown. In Hebei Province, officials detained a total of seven Catholic clerics and 90 laypersons.

The government and the Holy See have not established diplomatic relations and there was no Vatican representative on the Mainland. The role of the pope in selecting bishops, the status of underground Catholic clerics, and Vatican recognition of Taiwan remained obstacles to improved relations.

Although the government insisted that it retains power to impose conditions on the appointment of Catholic bishops, registered Catholics increasingly acknowledged the spiritual authority of the Holy See, and the Vatican has approved most registered bishops appointed by the government prior to consecration. In April and May, CPA officials consecrated two Catholic bishops without Vatican approval, reportedly forcing registered Catholic clerics to participate in the consecrations. The CPA also installed a bishop in Fujian Province, even though he was consecrated in 2000 without Holy See approval."

Document(s): Open document

01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Protestants and Catholics ("World Report 2007") [ID 18571]

"Policies have been reflected in round-ups of Protestants—possibly as many as 1,958 in a one-year period ending in June 2006—for attending training sessions and Bible study meetings in unregistered venues. Most are released quickly, some after paying fines. Some leaders are held on trumped up charges, such as “illegal business practices.”

The Catholic underground church community and the official Chinese Catholic church continue to disagree over the ordination of bishops. In May, over the objections of the Vatican, the official church installed four new bishops."

Document(s): Open document

12.2006 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Xinjiang: Official repression of house church members continues ("China Human Rights and Rule of Law Update (December 2006)") [ID 19570]

"Official government repression of Protestant house church members in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) continued in October and November, with three reported incidences of house church members being taken into custody, according to the China Aid Association (CAA), a U.S. NGO that monitors religious freedom in China.

* Officials detained house church member Tian Maishi on October 18 in Urumqi city, XUAR, holding her for at least three weeks, according to a November 15 CAA report. Officials accused Tian of "illegal evangelism" and "use of superstition to cheat another person" but the report did not specify whether authorities were citing specific violations of religious regulations or criminal law when detaining Tian. The government employs various legal and extralegal methods to penalize religious adherents engaged in religious practices that it deems illegitimate.

* Officials in Yili city, XUAR, raided a house where unregistered Protestants had gathered for the blessing of a home on October 20, taking more than 10 house church members into custody, along with 3 Singaporean nationals, according to an October 31 CAA report. Officials released most of those in custody, including the Singaporeans, on October 21, but five of the house church members remained in detention as of October 31.

* Authorities in Urumqi city, XUAR raided a Bible training program on October 26, taking into custody and questioning 34 house church members and an American pastor, according to a CAA report dated the same day. A CAA report on October 27 said that officials beat 1 house church member, but released the 34 they took into custody after 12 hours of questioning, and kept the American pastor under surveillance in a hotel. Officials also detained several house church members again for questioning on October 27, and asked others to appear for additional questioning."

Document(s): Open document

21.10.2006 - Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Anhui Province: Disabled pastor sentenced to 2 years imprisonment and high fine for printing Bibles and Christian literature ("Disabled Chinese pastor sentenced for producing Christian literature during Archbishop's visit") [ID 17888]

Document(s): Open document

20.10.2006 - Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Human rights lawyer and leading advocate for religious freedom charged with inciting subversion of state power; leader of The Three Grades of Servants church sentenced to death; reportedly, torture was used to extract confession ("Fresh human rights concerns emerge as Archbishop concludes visit to China") [ID 17889]

Document(s): Open document

06.10.2006 - Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Continued restrictions of religious freedom; Christians reportedly still face repression and punishment if they meet outside official church; penalties can include imprisonment, forced labour, torture and harsh financial measures ("CSW highlights China's persecution of Christians as Archbishop commences visit") [ID 17890]

Document(s): Open document

20.09.2006 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Repression against Catholics and Protestants increased ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 17385]

see report for further details - Chapter V(d)

"• Government repression of unregistered Catholic clerics increased in the past year. Based on NGO reports, officials in Hebei and Zhejiang provinces detained a total of 38 unregistered clerics in 13 incidents in the last year, while in the previous year officials detained 11 clerics in 5 incidents. The government targets Catholic bishops who lead large unregistered communities for the most severe punishment. Bishop Jia Zhiguo, the unregistered bishop of Zhengding diocese in Hebei province, has spent most of the past year in detention. Bishop Jia has been detained at least eight times since 2004.

• Government harassment and abuse of registered Catholic clerics also increased in the past year. In November and December 2005, three incidents were reported in which officials or unidentified assailants beat registered Catholic nuns or priests after they demanded the return of church property. In April and May 2006, officials began a campaign to increase control over registered Catholic bishops. Officials detained, sequestered, threatened, or exerted pressure on dozens of registered Catholic clerics to coerce them into participating in the consecration of bishops selected by the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association but not approved by the Holy See.

• Government authorities also restricted contact between registered clergy and the Holy See, denying bishops permission to travel to Rome in September 2005 to participate in a meeting of Catholic bishops. Authorities continued to permit some registered priests and nuns to study abroad. [...]

• The Chinese government continues to repress Chinese Protestants who worship in house churches. From May 2005 to May 2006, the government detained nearly 2,000 house church members, according to one U.S. NGO. Almost 50 percent of the reported detentions of Protestant house church members and leaders took place in Henan province, where the house church movement is particularly strong. In June 2006, Pastor Zhang Rongliang, the leader of one of China’s largest house churches, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for ‘‘illegally crossing the national border’’ and ‘‘fraudulently obtaining a passport.’’ Authorities have detained or imprisoned Pastor Zhang multiple times since 1976. Pastor Gong Shengliang is serving a life sentence in declining health, and was beaten in prison during the past year.

• The Chinese government continues to maintain strict control over the registered Protestant church. The RRA requires that all Protestants worship at registered churches, regardless of their differences in doctrine and liturgy. The state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which leads the registered Protestant church in China, continues to impose a Party-defined theology, called ‘‘theological construction,’’ on registered seminaries that is intended to ‘‘weaken those aspects within Christian faith that do not conform with the socialist society.’’ In the past year, authorities detained a registered Protestant pastor in Henan province for conducting a Bible study meeting at a registered Protestant church outside his designated geographic area.

• The Chinese government continues to disrupt the relationships that many house churches maintain with co-religionists outside China, including raiding meetings between house church leaders and overseas Protestants, and preventing foreign travel by house church leaders. The Chinese government also continues to restrict and monitor the ties of the registered Protestant Church with foreign denominations."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Repression of unregistered Protestant church networks continues ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18166]

"Repression of unregistered Protestant church networks and "house" churches continued to be widely reported. Central Government officials stated that friends and family holding prayer meetings at home need not register with the Government, but China's regulations on religious affairs (RRA) state that formal worship should take place only in government-approved venues. Sources in many locations continued to report that police and officials of local Religious Affairs Bureaus (RABs) interfered with house church meetings, often accusing the house church of disturbing neighbors or disrupting social order. House church leaders asserted that police routinely used noise complaints as a pretext for raiding their meetings. When police disrupted meetings, they sometimes detained worshippers attending such services for hours or days and prevented further house worship in the venues. Leaders sometimes faced harsher treatment, including detention, formal arrest and sentencing to reeducation or imprisonment. Again, treatment of unregistered groups varied regionally. For example, some local officials in Henan Province often mistreated unregistered Protestants, and some local officials in Hebei Province tightly controlled Roman Catholics loyal to the Vatican. In many localities, however, officials worked closely with registered religious groups to accomplish religious and social goals."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Catholics ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18170]

"Approximately 8 to 10 million Catholics lived in the country, according to Chinese Catholics, although precise figures were difficult to determine. These included both the 4.5 million persons registered with the official Catholic Patriotic Association and an equal or greater number who worship in unregistered Catholic churches affiliated with the Vatican. According to official figures, the government-approved Catholic Patriotic Association had 67 bishops, 5,000 priests and nuns, and more than 6,000 churches and meetinghouses. There were thought to be approximately forty bishops operating "underground," some of who were likely in prison or under house arrest."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Protestants ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18171]

"The Government maintained that the country had more than 16 million Protestants, more than 55,000 registered churches and other places of worship, and 18 theological schools. Officials from the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (the state-approved Protestant religious organization) had estimated that at least 20 million Chinese worship in official churches. One local academic put the number of Protestants between 50 and 60 million, including both officially approved and unregistered churches. Foreign sources estimated that there were between 80-100 million Protestants worshipping in unregistered churches. A 2004 nongovernmental survey in Beijing tallied over 100,000 unregistered Protestants, far more than the 30,000 registered with authorities. Domestic and foreign experts agreed that the number of Protestants was growing rapidly. According to state-run media reports in August 2004, the number of Protestants was increasing by up to 600,000 annually. While it is difficult to arrive at an exact estimate, Christian groups outside China believe that the number of Chinese attending unregistered churches is expanding at a much faster rate."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Protestant churches required to affiliate with Three-Self Patriotic Movement/Chinese Christian Council (TSPM/CCC) ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18176]

"Nearly all local RAB officials require Protestant churches to affiliate with the (Protestant) Three-Self Patriotic Movement/Chinese Christian Council (TSPM/CCC). Credentialing procedures effectively required clergy to affiliate with the TSPM/CCC, a practice that appeared unchanged since adoption of the new regulations. Many unregistered evangelical Protestant groups refuse to affiliate with the TSPM/CCC because they have theological differences with the TSPM/CCC. Some groups disagree with the TSPM/CCC teachings that all Protestant beliefs are compatible and that differences between Protestant denominations are irrelevant. In a few regions, Protestant groups have registered without affiliating with the TSPM/CCC. These exceptions include the Local Assemblies Protestant churches in Zhejiang Province, where no significant TSPM/CCC community exists, and the (Korean) Chaoyang Church in Jilin Province, both of which operate openly without affiliating with the TSPM/CCC. Additionally, the (Russian) Orthodox Church has been able to operate without affiliating with a government organization in a few parts of the country. In other regions, officially "post-denominational" Protestant churches informally aligned themselves with Protestant denominations. Some pastors in official churches said that denominational affiliation was an important way of drawing parishioners."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

House churches and private worship services ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18325]

"Local officials have great discretion in determining whether "house churches" violate regulations. The term "house church" is used to describe both unregistered churches and gatherings in homes or businesses of groups of Christians to conduct small, private worship services. SARA officials confirmed during the year that unregistered churches are illegal, but said prayer meetings and Bible study groups held among friends and family in homes are legal and need not register. In some parts of the country, unregistered house churches with hundreds of members meet openly with the full knowledge of local authorities, who characterize the meetings as informal gatherings to pray, sing, and study the Bible. In other areas, house church meetings of more than a handful of family members and friends are not permitted. House churches often encounter difficulties when their membership grows, when they arrange for the regular use of facilities for the specific purpose of conducting religious activities, or when they forge links with other unregistered groups or with coreligionists overseas. Urban house churches are generally limited to meetings of a few dozen members or less, while meetings of unregistered Protestants in small cities and rural areas may number in the hundreds."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Problems in training adequate numbers of clergy ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18326]

"Both official and unofficial Christian churches have problems training adequate numbers of clergy to meet the needs of their growing congregations. Due to restrictions and prohibitions on religion between 1955 and 1985, no priests or other clergy in the official churches were ordained during that period; most priests and pastors were trained either before 1955 or after 1985, resulting in a shortage of trained clerics between the ages of 40 and 70. Thus, as senior clerics retire, there are relatively few experienced clerics to replace them. The Government states that the official Catholic Church has trained more than 900 priests in the past 10 years. The Government permits registered religions to train clergy and allows limited numbers of Catholic and Protestant seminarians, Muslim clerics, and Buddhist clergy to go abroad for additional religious studies, but some religious students have had difficulty obtaining approval to study abroad. In most cases, foreign organizations provide funding for such training programs. In the past, some Catholic clerics had complained that they were forced to bribe local officials before being allowed to enter seminaries. Due to government prohibitions, unofficial or unregistered churches have particularly significant problems training clergy, and many clergy receive only limited and inadequate preparation.

"

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Roman Catholic Church and the authority of the pope ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18327]

"The Government does not allow the government-authorized Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and its clergy to recognize the authority of the pope in some matters, which remained a significant reason for the persistence of a large unregistered Catholic church that remained unaffiliated with the Government and Patriotic Association. Pressure by the Patriotic Association on unregistered Catholic bishops to join the official Church continued, and unregistered priests and bishops were often detained. Despite some efforts toward rapprochement between the Government and the Vatican, the Government has not established diplomatic relations with the Holy See, and there was no Vatican representative on the Mainland. The Vatican's diplomatic recognition of Taiwan and differences over selection of bishops remained the primary obstacles to improved relations. After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Government and religious officials made conciliatory statements and welcomed Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican invited four Chinese bishops, including one not recognized by the Government, to an October 2005 synod in Rome, but the Patriotic Association declined the invitations.

In March 2006 a dispute erupted between the Patriotic Association and the Vatican after the Vatican elevated prodemocracy Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen to cardinal. In April and May, the Patriotic Association ignored a Vatican request to delay the ordinations of Bishops Ma Yingling of Kunming, Yunnan Province, and Liu Xinhong of Wuhu, Anhui Province. The Vatican criticized the ordinations as illicit and referred to the possibility of excommunication of those ordained or conducting an ordination without papal approval. The Patriotic Association and SARA responded that the bishops had been democratically elected by priests of their dioceses and that the Vatican was interfering in the country's internal affairs. The disagreement disrupted a period of more than two years during which several Bishops were appointed with both government's and Vatican approval, including auxiliary bishops in Shanghai and Xian. Other bishops, however, were ordained with both government and Vatican approval before and after the dispute began. An increasing number of priests and bishops publicly acknowledged that the Vatican had approved their appointment. They suffered no punishment for this public stance, although the Government denied that the Vatican played any role in approving the country's clergy.

In fact, most bishops recognized by the Patriotic Association have been recognized by the Vatican either before or after their appointment by the Government. In a few cases, the bishop named by the government-affiliated church conflicted directly with the bishop recognized by the Vatican, a situation that contributed significantly to tension between the Patriotic Association and the unregistered Catholic church and to tension between the Vatican and the Government. The Patriotic Association said more than forty of China's nearly one hundred dioceses had no bishop in place.
"

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Confiscation of bibles ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18330]

"The increase in the number of Christians in the country has resulted in a corresponding increase in the demand for Bibles. Bibles can be purchased at many bookstores and at most officially recognized churches. Many house church members buy their Bibles at such places without incident. A Bible is affordable for most citizens. The supply of Bibles is adequate in most parts of the country, but members of unregistered churches complained that the supply and distribution of Bibles in some places, especially rural locations, was inadequate. Individuals cannot order Bibles directly from publishing houses, and house church Christians reported that purchase of large numbers of Bibles could bring unfavorable attention to the purchaser. Customs officials continued to monitor for the "smuggling" of Bibles and other religious materials into the country. Authorities sometimes confiscate Bibles in raids on house churches.

Bibles, like all other literature, can only be published by state-approved publishing houses. The Amity Publishing House in Nanjing has printed more than forty million Bibles in the past twenty-five years. However, as part of a campaign against illegal publishing, religious texts published without authorization, including Bibles and Qur'ans, were often confiscated and the unauthorized publishing houses were often closed. Religious adherents were arrested and jailed on charges of illegal publishing.
"

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Detention of Protestant Christians continues ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18336]

"Protestant Christians who worshipped outside of government-approved venues or in their homes continued to face detention and abuse, especially for attempting to meet in large groups, traveling within and outside of the country for religious meetings, and otherwise holding peaceful religious assemblies in unregistered venues. U.S. legal permanent resident Wu Hao was detained by security officials in February 2006 after filming house church services in Beijing for a documentary film. As of the end of the reporting period, he had not been charged, and the Government refused to clarify his whereabouts. Henan Province house Christian pastor Zhang Rongliang was convicted in June 2006 of obtaining a passport through fraud and illegal border crossing. He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison. In August 2004 in Zhejiang Province, the Government convicted Beijing-based house church Christians Liu Fenggang, Xu Yonghai and Zhang Shengqi on charges of disclosing state secrets after they provided an overseas Chinese magazine information about abuse of Christians in the country. Xu and Zhang were released at the expiry of their sentences, but Liu's three-year sentence had not yet expired. In May 2006 after President Bush met with Christian intellectuals in the White House, security officials harassed relatives of at least one of the meeting's participants.

Police and other security officials disrupted Protestant religious retreats and large meetings on many occasions. In July 2005 the Government reportedly detained one hundred Sunday school students in Hebei Province. In August 2005 police reportedly raided a training class in Jiangxi Province for Sunday school teachers. On Christmas Day 2005, police reportedly raided an unregistered church in Manasu County, Xinjiang, destroying property and detained several worshippers. The U.S.-based China Aid Association said more than 200 were detained, including Pastor Guo Xianyao. In February 2006, Lou Yuanqi was reportedly detained for holding unauthorized church services in Xinjiang. In April Li Huimin was reportedly sentenced to reeducation in Henan Province for holding house church meetings at his home. In May several house church activists were detained in Henan Province's Fugou County. At least three remained detained at the end of the period covered by this report.
"

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Religious leaders of unregistered groups detained and abused ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18337]

"Gong Shengliang and several other leaders of the unregistered South China Church, which the Government considered to be a cult, reportedly continued to suffer abuse in prison during the period covered by this report. Sentenced to death in 2001 on criminal charges including rape, arson, and assault, Gong Shengliang, Xiu Fuming, and Hu Yong had their sentences reduced to life in prison on retrial in 2002. Li Ying and Gong Bang Kun had their sentences reduced from death to fifteen years in prison. Four female church members who signed statements accusing Gong of sexual crimes were rearrested in 2002 and sentenced to three years' reeducation-through-labor, reportedly for recanting their accusations against Gong. There were reports that Gong suffered physical abuse in prison, in part for refusing to abandon his religious beliefs. Elderly church member Chen Jingmao reportedly was abused in a Chongqing prison for attempting to convert inmates to Christianity. Authorities prevented lawyers for both men from meeting with their clients in jail and from filing appeals on behalf of both men.

Following a 2004 crackdown, more than seventeen members of the Three Grades of Servants Church, which the Government labels a "cult," went on trial for murder and other crimes in late 2005 and early 2006. The alleged murders resulted from a conflict between the church and the Eastern Lightning group, which the Government considers a cult. Xu Shuangfu, leader of the Three Grades of Servants, was convicted of murder in June and, along with church members Li Maoxing and Wang Jun, was sentenced to death. Zhang Min, Zhu Lixing, and Ben Zhonghai received suspended death sentences, and eleven other church members were sentenced to jail terms of three to fifteen years. Even before the verdict in Xu's case had been announced, Xu's conviction was introduced as evidence in the trials of several other group members, according to reliable reports. Many detained or charged with membership in the cult did not use the name Three Grades of Servants Church in describing what they viewed as their own unaffiliated house church.

A number of Catholic priests and lay leaders were beaten or otherwise abused during the reporting period prompting Vatican officials to make formal protests. In some locations, local authorities reportedly have forced unregistered priests and believers to choose between joining the official Church and facing punishment such as fines, job loss, periodic detentions, and having their children barred from school. Some Catholic officials were forced into hiding. Ongoing harassment of unregistered bishops and priests was reported in recent years, including government surveillance and repeated short detentions. Many of those harassed and detained were more than seventy years old.

Numerous detentions of unofficial Catholic clergy were reported, in particular in Hebei Province, traditionally home to many unregistered Catholics. The Government detained unregistered Bishop Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding, Hebei, for the eighth time since 2004 and held him for five months. Security authorities detained more than a dozen other priests and seminarians the same month in Zhengding, including Father Yang Jianwei, who remained detained. On September 2 2005, officials reportedly detained two priests from Qingyuan County, Hebei. In November more than a dozen unregistered priests and seminarians were detained across Hebei Province. In January 2006 Father Huo Junlong was reportedly released but kept under house arrest. There was no new information about unregistered Bishop Su Zhimin, who has been unaccounted for since his reported detention in 1997. Reliable reports suggested that he had been held in a government-run guesthouse or an old-age home near Baoding, Hebei Province. The Government continued to deny taking coercive measures against him. In June 2006, an unverified press report circulated that Bishop Su had died in custody. The Government had not responded to requests to clarify his status by the end of the reporting period. Reliable sources also reported that Bishop An Shuxin, Bishop Zhang Weizhu, Father Cui Xing, and Father Wang Quanjun remained detained in Hebei Province. According to reliable reports, Bishop An, Bishop Su's auxiliary bishop, was last seen four years ago. According to the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation, the whereabouts of Bishops Yao Liang and Zhao Zhendong, detained in past years, remained unknown, while Bishops Fan Zhongliang and Liu Guandong remained under strict surveillance.

Some unregistered Catholic and Protestant leaders reported that the Government organized campaigns to compel them to register, resulting in continued and, in some cases, increased pressure to register their congregations. Officials organizing registration campaigns collected the names, addresses, and sometimes the fingerprints of church leaders and worshippers. On some occasions, church officials were detained when they arrived for meetings called by authorities to discuss registration.
"

Document(s): Open document

26.08.2006 - Source: BBC News

Bishop An Shuxin, member of the underground Roman Catholic Church, loyal to the Vatican, released after being imprisoned for more than 10 years for his religious beliefs ("China 'frees' underground bishop") [ID 17891]

Document(s): Open document

31.07.2006 - Source: BBC News

Clashes between police and Christians protesting against the demolition of a church in Eastern province Zhejiang; 20 people injured according to the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy ("China clash as church demolished") [ID 17036]

Document(s): Open document

31.07.2006 - Source: Standard

Clashes between police and Christian underground church members in Hangzhou as authorities tried to tear down church building ("Zusammenstöße zwischen Polizei und Untergrundkirche") [ID 17037]

Document(s): Open document

29.07.2006 - Source: Tageszeitung

Sichuan: 4 members of Protestant House Church sentenced to 2 years labour camp; they had demanded release of arrested church members in Langzhong (""Umerziehung" für vier Pastoren") [ID 17038]

Document(s): Open document

07.07.2006 - Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

In separate incidents, 3 religious leaders sentenced to death, prominent house church leader given 7 and a half year sentence and 2 other church leaders detained by authorities ("CSW urges Chinese authorities to overturn death sentences and long prison terms for Church leaders") [ID 17039]

Document(s): Open document

06.06.2006 - Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Hubei Province: Pastor Gong Shengliang, leader of South China Church, beaten again in prison; as result he was unable to move his mouth for 3 days and suffered some loss of hearing in right ear ("Imprisoned underground Church leader beaten again in China") [ID 17040]

Document(s): Open document

22.03.2006 - Source: Committee to Protect Journalists

Beijing: Documentary filmmaker and blogger Wu Hao detained without charge on 22 February during work on documentary about unregistered Christian churches in China; editing equipment and videotapes removed from his apartment ("CPJ demands release of filmmaker and blogger Wu Hao") [#47183],  [ID 17193]

Document(s): Open document

21.03.2006 - Source: Reporters Sans Frontières

Blogger and documentary filmmaker Hao Wu held in detention since 22 February after attending a meeting of members of a protestant church not recognised by the government as part of the preparation of his next documentary ("Blogger and documentary filmmaker held for the past month") [#47328],  [ID 17194]

Document(s): Open document

11.10.2005 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Repression against Catholics & unregistered Protestants ("Annual Report 2005") [#37506],  [ID 3961]

see report for further details

"The Chinese government continues to repress Catholics. Chinese authorities are currently detaining over 40 unregistered clergy and have taken measures this year to tighten control of registered clergy and seminaries. Despite assurances of its desire to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See, the Chinese government has not altered its long-standing position that, as a precondition to negotiations, the Holy See must renounce a papal role in the selection of bishops and break relations with Taiwan. [...]
In the past year, the Chinese government continued a campaign begun in 2002 focused on harassing and repressing unregistered Protestant groups and consolidating control over registered Protestants. Hundreds of unregistered Protestants associated with house churches have been intimidated, beaten, or imprisoned. The Chinese government opposes the relationships that many unregistered Protestant house churches have developed with co-religionists outside China."

Document(s): Open document

06.07.2005 - Source: BBC News

Protestant pastor along with his wife and 2 other church members, charged of illegally printing more than 200,000 Bibles; he has already been in detention for 10 months and is now due to appear in Beijing court ("China pastor on trial over Bibles") [#33693],  [ID 3962]

Document(s): Open document

04.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Country Report April 2005 - Christians ("Country Report - April 2005") [#31975],  [ID 3963]

The report contains additional details in its chapters on Catholics, Protestants, "Protestant House Churches – Arrests and Demolitions", Russian Orthodox Church and Evangelical Christian Groups.

"6.49 As reported by the BBC on 9 November 2004, “Getting reliable numbers about the number of Christians in China is notoriously difficult. Estimates vary between 40m to 70m Protestants, only 10 million of whom are registered members of government churches. The situation is similar for Catholics. Of the estimated 15 to 20 million Catholics in China, less than half belong to state-approved churches, which put authority to Beijing before authority to Rome.” [9bn]

6.50 According to the same report, “Both Catholics and Protestants have long complained of persecution by the Communist authorities, and human rights groups claim the problem is getting worse.” According to the same souce, about 300 Christians are detained in China at any one time (based on figures from the Jubilee Campaign). [9bn]

6.51 This report also stated, “China's Christian population - especially those who refuse to worship in the tightly regulated state-registered churches - is seen as one such threat.” Furthermore the report stated, “Those Christians who want to avoid the state-controlled religious movements meet in unofficial buildings or even each others' homes - hence their description as "house churches" - risking fines, imprisonment, torture and even, in some cases, death.” [9bn]

6.52 According to a report obtained by the Canadian IRB dated 28 February 2003, “It is normal for Patriotic churches to display crosses, crucifixes and portraits of Jesus… It is similarly legal for Chinese citizens to posses these and display them in their homes.” [3t]"

Document(s): Open document

21.12.2004 - Source: Amnesty International

Leader of Christ and Protestant Fangcheng Mother Church in Henan detained and 3 members of unofficial Protestant church in Zhejiang imprisoned for their beliefs ("Religious freedom rhetoric fails to translate into reality") [#27780],  [ID 3964]

Document(s): Open document

14.12.2004 - Source: Amnesty International

Henan: prominent underground church leader detained by police; he is at risk of torture ("People´s Republic of China - UA 334/04") [#27622],  [ID 3965]

Document(s): Open document

09.11.2004 - Source: BBC News

Since June, more than 300 unregistered Christians were detained because of their belief; many of them were sentenced to prison and being tortured in jail ("China's Christians suffer for their faith") [#26884],  [ID 3966]

Document(s): Open document

13.09.2004 - Source: Guardian

Hebei province: 23 Roman Catholics, including 8 priests and 2 seminary students arrested/ 2 of the priests were sentenced to "a period of re-education through forced labour," and 1 bishop died in a prison ("Vatican steps up criticism of China over arrests of Catholics") [#25511],  [ID 3967]

Document(s): Open document

09.09.2004 - Source: Forum 18

Xinjiang: Russian Orthodox questioned by security services; no Russian Orthodox priests in China, and foreign priests not allowed to hold services ("Xinjiang: Security service investigation followed Orthodox priest's deportation") [#25453],  [ID 3968]

Document(s): Open document

23.06.2004 - Source: BBC News

3 Roman Catholic bishops, one of them 84 years old, arrested in the past month ("Vatican condemns Chinese arrests") [#23478],  [ID 3969]

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

Country Assessment - October 2003 - Christians, General Information ("Country Report - October 2003") [#49232],  [ID 3970]

"6.34. In the 1950s the government, to curb perceived foreign domination of Christian groups, established the Catholic Patriotic Association (independent of the Vatican) and the (Protestant) Three-Self Patriotic Movement. In 1980 the (Catholic) National Bishop's Conference and the (Protestant) China Christian Council were established. These churches are the only ones authorised to operate openly. The government estimates that China has 4 million registered Catholics and 10-15 million registered Protestants. The oldest Catholic Church in China, Xuanwumen Catholic Church in Beijing, was reopened after a 2-month refit, partially paid for by government grant. [4bs] Unregistered Catholics loyal to the Vatican were concerned after five bishops were ordained on 31 December 1999 by the Patriotic Catholic Church (the state-approved church not recognised by the Vatican) on the same day as 12 bishops worldwide were ordained by the Vatican. [4fk] Unregistered Christians in China, in addition to Vatican-orientated Catholics, include "house church" Protestants, of whom only a minority are registered. [2c][2d]

6.35. Over 20 million bibles have been published in the last two decades, according to the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. [4v] According to the BAR, Bibles are being printed in China at a rate of 10,000 copies a day. The main printer of Bibles in China is the Amity Printing Company Limited, Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Two versions of the Bible are used within Mainland Chinese churches - the Chinese Union Version and the more contemporary, Today's Chinese Version. Bibles may legally be sold through any outlet except state-run bookshops, which in effect means they are sold through the churches themselves. [3cg]

6.36. From time to time religious groups break the law. Foreign-based Christian groups are known to operate clandestinely. [4in] One British author made the point in May 2002 that many of the leading Chinese dissidents are supported personally by strong religious, usually Christian, convictions. [4vt]

6.37. In December 2001, President Jiang Zemin (1993 - 2003) and Premier Zhu Rongji (1998 - 2003), both attended a Party Work Conference on religion. While here they praised the work being done by mainstream religious organisations and urged those not registered with the RAB to do so."

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

Country Assessment - October 2003 - Catholic Christians ("Country Report - October 2003") [#49232],  [ID 3971]

"Catholic Christians

6.45. The Canadian IRB produced a document dated 27 January 2000, CHN 33598.EX, outlining general conditions and practice of Chinese Catholic Christians, making mention of conditions within Fujian province. [3z] A key book regarding the Catholic communities in China is Richard Madsen's China's Catholics published in1999. [5x]

6.46. A distinct split exists between the registered and unregistered catholic churches. The unregistered church is loyal to the Vatican and refuses to cut ties with the Vatican or to accept local election of bishops without Papal appointment. The Chinese authorities view such points as political matters, while many Catholics see them as points of principle. As a consequence of this there is a high rate of non-registration amongst Catholic churches. Relations between registered and non-registered Catholics depend on locality; in some areas they co-exist harmoniously side-by-side, but in others they are openly hostile to one another. [3z]

6.47. In Fujian province, in Changle County for instance, only 10 out of 80 Catholic parishes were affiliated with the Catholic Patriotic Association (equivalent to the protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement) in 2000. There is currently rapid growth in Catholic Christian adherents and no harassment of unofficial congregations by the Fujian authorities at the moment. [3r]

6.48. In September 2000, a number of clerics of unregistered churches were arrested. [4it] The case of Yang Shudao, Archbishop of the Fuzhou Archdiocese is still on-going. Archbishop Yang has spent nearly 30 years in detention since his first arrest in 1955. He has consistently refused to co-operate with the CPA. His stance, however, does not seemed to have impacted upon the Fuzhou unregistered Catholic community at large. [3r]

6.49. There has been one UK news article in December 2002 that has talked about increased tolerance for Catholic Christians in China and reported the acceptance by the PRC authorities of the Pope as a "spiritual head". [10be] This article stands out from other articles discussing the position of Catholics in China by failing to address the concerns of many Chinese Catholics over the issue of registration / non registration. [4se]

6.50. On 29 July 2003, official Chinese Catholic leaders met a visiting US Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal McCarrick. During talks Chinese delegates warned that Catholic leaders should not become “political stars” as “this does not conform with their religious rules.” [20ar.]

6.51. Relations with the Vatican deteriorated badly over the canonisation of 120 Chinese martyrs by the Vatican in October 2000, with priests and bishops disciplined by the official church if they did not overtly support official criticism of the Pope's canonisation's. [2h] There was some mending of relations around the 400th anniversary of Matteo Ricci's mission to China. [4se] Contacts between the official Catholic patriotic association and the unregistered churches have been more fruitful, with the Vatican urging unregistered, Vatican-aligned churches to develop such relations, despite deep antipathy towards the official association held by some members and clerics. [4se] These canonisation's took place on China's National Day.

6.52. There are reports of local intimidation of the unregistered Catholics. [2h][3bl] For example, the local religious Affairs Bureau in northern Shaanxi has run a two year operation, code-named Operation 816, to corral unregistered Catholics into the official churches. The campaign has been intensified in October / November 2001. [4ts] The County of Fenxiang in northern Shaanxi is a key area of Catholic activity, with Fenxiang as the only unregistered Catholic diocese without a registered church alternative diocese in the area. It has 16 priests and about 20,000 believers in the diocese. In other words, Catholics in Fenxiang are overwhelmingly non-registered. [4ts]

6.53. According to the main Chinese Catholic NGO (the Cardinal Kung Foundation) the activities of the official church clergy are tightly monitored and curtailed by the authorities. With restrictions on movement for unofficial church bishops, such as Bishop Fan Zhongliang of Shanghai, "so tight that it is tantamount to house arrest.""

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

Country Assessment - October 2003 - Protestant Christians ("Country Report - October 2003") [#49232],  [ID 3972]

"Protestant Christians

6.38. Protestant groups can be divided into a number of categories. There are the official churches aligned to the Three-Self Patriotic Movement / Chinese Christian Council axis. Secondly, there are Christian groups not aligned to the official church mechanism and attempting registration. There are also churches with no intention of going for registration, and groups held to be Christian-influenced but mutually antipathetic to other Protestant Christian groups (registered or unregistered.) [2h] There are tensions between the unofficial groups and the official mechanism. Unofficial groups are predominantly fundamentalist in theology and object to representation by an organisation far more liberal and flexible in position than themselves. [2h]

6.39. In Fujian province, the situation differs from the main areas of anti-Christian activity. Registered and unregistered churches operate side by side: unregistered churches are not very "underground". For example, two groups, True Jesus church and Little Flock church groups operate openly, the former with a large prominent church building in Fuzhou. Unregistered churches in Fujian are reported to be in contact with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the CCC. [3u] There is reportedly much evidence of the construction of new church buildings in Fuzhou, in response to a current rapid growth in religious adherence. [3r]

6.40. The Canadian IRB produced document CHN33002 on the condition of both registered and unregistered Protestant Christian groups in Fujian province in April 2000. It draws upon news reports, NGO reports and the opinion of expert witnesses. [3u]

6.41. Since late 1998, unregistered Christians in the PRC have generally been subject to increased pressure from authorities to register. Protestants have been targeted in Beijing, Henan province and Shandong province, all areas with growing numbers of unregistered Protestants. There has been similar targeting in Hebei province of unregistered Catholics. [3u]

6.4