Author: Laurie Chen
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police detained dozens of pastors from one of the church’s largest underground congregations over the weekend, a church spokesman and relatives said, in the biggest crackdown on Christians since 2018.
The detentions come amid renewed tensions between China and the United States after Beijing last week significantly expanded export controls on rare earths, a move that drew condemnation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who on Sunday called for the pastors’ immediate release.
Zion Church, an unofficial “house church” without government approval, was detained at his home in the southern city of Beihai on Friday night, said his daughter Grace Jin and church spokesman Sean Long.
“What just happened is part of a new wave of religious persecution this year,” Long said, adding that police had questioned more than 150 believers in recent months and had stepped up harassment of in-person Sunday services.
Long, speaking to Reuters from his home in the United States, added that around the same time, authorities detained nearly 30 pastors and church members across the country but later released five of them.
He added that about 20 pastors and church leaders remained detained.
Beihai police could not be reached for comment by phone. China’s Ministry of Public Security did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.
An official detention notice provided by Long to Reuters showed that Jin, 56, was being held at the Beihai No. 2 Detention Center on suspicion of “illegal use of information networks.” The charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Supporters worry that King and other pastors could eventually be prosecuted for illegally using the Internet to spread religious messages.
“He’s been hospitalized in the past for diabetes. We’re concerned because he needs medication,” said Grace King. “I also received notice that lawyers are not allowed to meet with priests, so that’s very concerning for us.”
A month ago, China’s top religious watchdog issued new regulations prohibiting unauthorized online preaching or religious training by clergy, as well as “foreign collusion.”
Last month, President Xi Jinping also vowed to “strictly enforce the law” and promote the sinicization of Chinese religions.
Official figures show that China has more than 44 million Christians registered with state-recognized churches, the majority of whom are Protestants.
But tens of millions more are estimated to be members of illegal “house churches” that operate outside the control of the ruling Communist Party.
Zion Church, which has about 5,000 regular worshipers in nearly 50 cities, has rapidly grown its membership through Zoom sermons and small in-person gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, Long said.
The church was founded by King, also known as Ezra, in 2007 after he resigned as pastor of the official Protestant church.
Long added that Jin, an elite graduate of Peking University, converted to Christianity after witnessing the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.
In 2018, police closed church buildings in the capital Beijing during a crackdown on major house churches. Earlier this year, police temporarily detained 11 Zion Church pastors, Long said.
Grace Jin said the government imposed travel restrictions on Jin in 2018, preventing him from visiting his wife and three children who had settled in the United States.
“I think he always knew he could be incarcerated,” she added.
Fu Xiqiu, founder of the Christian NGO ChinaAid, said dozens of police officers forcibly intercepted Kim as he tried to board a flight to the United States from the commercial hub of Shanghai last month and restricted his travel beyond the North Sea.
“The key underlying reason is that the Zion Church has grown explosively in recent years into a well-organized network, which of course must scare the Communist Party leadership,” Fu said.
(Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
