China: Government plans to bring in new measures requiring churches to include CCP propaganda in services
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) is planning to bring in new regulatory measures that would require all churches and other places of worship to implement CCP propaganda as part of their services, the Bitter Winter Chinese human rights magazine reports.
Beijing’s proposed new measures would replace and strengthen the already severe “Regulations for the Establishment, Approval, and Registration of Religious Activity Venues” of 2005, Bitter Winter said.
“All religions are suffocated by a plethora of laws, regulations, and ordinances, not to mention the daily administrative and police surveillance” Bitter Winter explained in its report. “Yet, [China’s President] Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that there are still risks that unchecked religion may threaten the CCP, and bureaucrats follow up with continuous new measures.”
The new 2023 rules would leave the 2005 rules in place but would add that a church would only receive permission to hold services and if it “supports the leadership of the CCP, supports the socialist system, carries out an in-depth implementation of Xi Jinping thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, abides by the Constitution, laws, regulations, rules and relevant provisions of the management of religious affairs, practices the core values of socialism, adheres to the direction of Sinicization of religion.”
The proposed rules have been published as a draft for comments, which interested parties may submit by April 24, Bitter Winter said. “As usual, this pseudo-democratic process will not result in significant changes, and most likely in no changes at all,” Bitter Winter added.
With an oppressive authoritarian government intent on quashing any perceived threat to its power, China ranks 16th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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