China Orders Register Of Poor Catholics In Henan

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A priest in China’s Henan province claims to have received a notice from municipal authorities requesting churches in the province gather statistics on the backgrounds of their congregations, especially those from poor families.

But he is refusing to cooperate out of fear that anyone named in the register could be barred from receiving state subsidies as punishment for practicing their faith.

“This is totally unreasonable. I suspect their hidden agenda may be to cancel people’s low-income subsidies,” said the man, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals from the state.

China has forged an uneasy truce with the Vatican in recent years despite the Communist country being officially atheist. Pew Institute figures suggest it now has a population of 10 million Catholics with 10 percent concentrated in Henan, considered the cradle of Chinese civilization.

“Now we just have to wait for the inspection team to come and see what they say before we determine our next move,” added the clergyman, an open-church priest who serves in Luoyang Diocese of Sanmenxia City.

He expressed concern about what the government was planning to do with this data, part of a newly launched “special project.”

While the government claims the notice is aimed at improving the way churches and other venues are managed, the priest said it was likely a pretext for restricting and suppressing religious activity in the province.

He told ucanews.com that local officials visited his church on July 1 and handed him a circular titled “Special Office Emergency Notice”, ordering clergy to follow the instructions laid out therein.

The notice contained five points including one mandating that the number and backgrounds of worshippers of all faiths be documented and reported to authorities by 6pm on July 4.

Religious leaders were also told to inform local officials of any minors who enter religious venues, and of any cases where neon lights or speakers have been installed in places of worship.

Lists of clergy must also be hung up at parishes so that officials can confirm they have the necessary permits to preach from the pulpit, the notice said.

A third point says the Chinese flag must be on permanent display at religious venues and the national anthem sung at each service, the priest said.

The other two points relate to keeping prelates updated on newly revised regulations pertaining to religious affairs, and providing statistics to improve town and village archives, the open-church priest said.

Personnel from the special project office will make unannounced visits to churches in the province as and when they deem fit to ensure they are complying with the new rules, the notice warned. Investigations will be carried out to ensure all districts are cooperating, it stated.

The priest said religious venues were being heavily scrutinized and those without permits shuttered. Even those with the right credentials have been warned that they will be punished if they admit minors or Party members, he said.

UCA News

The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News, UCAN) is the leading independent Catholic news source in Asia. A network of journalists and editors that spans East, South and Southeast Asia, UCA News has for four decades aimed to provide the most accurate and up-to-date news, feature, commentary and analysis, and multimedia content on social, political and religious developments that relate or are of interest to the Catholic Church in Asia.

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