(CP) – Christians in China faced increased persecution throughout the Christmas season, with authorities shutting down many worship services and caroling events.
According to International Christian Concern, Shenzhen University in Guangdong, China, sent out a notice to staff asking them to ban students from holding Christmas activities, posting Christmas flyers, or showing Christmas displays on campus.
Pastor Yang Xibo from Xunsiding Church in Xiamen city told ICC that some local Christians were invited to perform Christmas songs at a shopping mall on Christmas Eve. However, their performance was interrupted by local police, and local Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and State Security also dispatched staff to make sure the Christians’ performance was canceled.
To discourage churches from meeting for the holidays, government officials required a state-sanctioned Catholic church in Jiangsu province’s Wuxi city to obtain approval from at least eight offices before it was permitted to hold Christmas mass.
Father Francis Liu from Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness shared a photo of riot police standing in front of Xishiku Cathedral in Beijing’s Xicheng district. READ MORE
