Chinese Christians are reportedly “outraged” after officials demolished a state-registered megachurch in Anhui province late last week.
US-based group ChinaAid reported that the demolition began last Friday during a worship service. The organisation said that during the demolition, Christians had knelt and begged authorities not to tear down the building, which had a reported capacity of 3,000. Some of those in the church fainted and had to be sent to the hospital.
ChinaAid said that authorities had claimed that they were renovating the area and suggested that Christians attend other churches. They also claimed that they would rebuild the church in another region.
ChinaAid also reported that on Wednesday, two of the church’s pastors – Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao – were reportedly detained on suspicion of “gathering a crowd to disturb social order”.
Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, described the demolition as “yet another clear example showing the escalation of religious persecution today by the Chinese Communist regime”.
“The total disregard of religious freedom’s protection as enshrined in the Communist Party’s own constitution tells the whole world President Xi is determined to continue his war against the peaceful Christian faithful. This campaign will surely fail in the end.”
Meanwhile, International Christian Concern has reported that Gou Zhongcan, a pastor at the Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan, was released after seven months in prison.
Gou, who was detained in March, is recovering at home in Bazhou.
Gina Goh, ICC’s regional manager for South-East Asia, welcomed the news but said the Chinese Government “has not relented on the persecution of Christians”.
“ERCC pastor Wang Yi and elder Qin Derfu are still criminally detained on trumped up charges and their lawyers and family have not been able to see them, even after 10 months. We should continue to put pressure on Beijing so that they will be set free. None of them deserved imprisonment in the first place.”
