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2d ago

China Formally Arrests 18 Zion Church Leaders on Internet Charges

Advocates call the internet charges a tool to force unregistered churches under Party control.

FILE - Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri leads a class on the basics of Christian beliefs at Zion Church in Beijing, Aug. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
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SHIJIAZHUANG, CHINA - APRIL 09: (CHINA OUT) A Chinese Catholic worshippers wait to take communion at the Palm Sunday Mass during the Easter Holy Week at an "underground" or "unofficial" church on April 9, 2017 near Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. China, an officially atheist country, places a number of restrictions on Christians, allowing legal practice of the faith only at state-approved churches. The policy has driven an increasing number of Christians and Christian converts 'underground' to secret congregations in private homes and other venues. While the size of the religious community is difficult to measure, studies estimate more than 80 million Christians inside China; some studies support the possibility it could become the most Christian nation in the world in the coming years. Officially there have been no relations between China and the Vatican since the country's modern founding in 1949 though in recent years there have been signs of warming relations between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Pope Francis that could possibly allow greater religious freedom in the future. At present, the split means approved Chinese Christians worship within a state-sanctioned Church known as the Patriotic Association which regards the Communist Party as its leader, not the Pope in Rome. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Authorities detained more than 30 Zion Church pastors and staff since mid-October, with 18 leaders formally arrested on Tuesday on allegations tied to online activity.
  • Founder Pastor Ezra Jin is among those arrested as the large house-church network, which expanded through online and hybrid worship after losing its venue in 2018, faces prosecution.
  • ChinaAid and Christian Solidarity Worldwide condemn the case as politically motivated, warning detainees could face prolonged pre-trial detention or prison terms of up to three years.
  • The U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan resolution condemning the arrests, while more than 500 church leaders from 45 countries signed a petition urging the releases.
  • Reports from a Zion Church spokesman describe violent raids, including officers separating a female pastor from her newborn, and note Pastor Jin’s immediate family lives in the United States.