The Chinese government continues to regulate religious activities within the borders and gives out orders to strictly forbid the Christian community in Henan to evangelize to minors. By doing so, the Henan government draws "a red line" to hinder the development of Christianity.
Forbid the Christian Community to Evangelize to Minors
Henan Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and Henan Catholic Administration Commission issued a circular on April 3rd requesting all venues for religious activities to stop holding educational training for minors. Classes in forms of winter and summer camps, etc. were requested to stop as well. Such request was made according to the instruction - separate religion and education - from the Henan Provincial Religious Bureau.
At the same time, members are not allowed to bring their children to church and they should leave their children with a caregiver outside of church. The circular claimed that to pinpoint such problems, they mainly focused on promoting education in the past, however, it was now "a high-pressure red line". It warned people not to ignore the instruction and if anyone disobeyed, the people in charge would be held accountable, registrations of pastoral staff would be cancelled, and they would even shut down the venues.
The last item on the circular instructs all China Christian Council (CCC) and Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (TSPM) in every city to communicate this message to all churches in a timely manner.
Crosses Forcefully Removed from Catholic Churches in Henan
As a matter of fact, CCP has already begun regulating religious activities in Henan. Their actions include forcefully removing crosses from churches and registering church members' personal information.
In the beginning of March, crosses were forcefully removed from many Christian churches throughout Henan. In Shangqui, Henan, 10 crosses were removed from a church. After communicating through the District United Front Work Department and the Religious Bureau, the church was allowed to install the crosses back, however, the sizes are much smaller.
On April 4th, the lower-class work force of Anyang, Henan requested all religious personnel within the district to register personal information, such as accounts and resident information. It includes Buddhism, Taoism, Christian, Islamism, etc. On the other side, Pingdingshan City official distributed the Regulation on Religious Affairs to religious personnel.
Moreover, according to sources, CCP strictly forbids evangelising to minors at many places within the borders. CCP also carried out religious regulating activities at places other than Henan. Such activities include forcefully removing crosses and putting up "No Minors" signs in front of churches.
(Source: Gospel Herald)
