Persecution & Prayer Alert

"To preach the Gospel for us
is to die; to be safe is to
stop preaching the Gospel."
~ Mac Philips, a Nigerian Christian

Chinese Priest Released from House Arrest

The Vatican and China flag According to a report from the Zenit news agency, Chinese authorities have released Father Vincent Kong Guocun (34) after six years under house arrest. According to Chinese sources, Kong was released because of failing health.

Kong was arrested on October 20, 1999, only two years after his ordination. Initially, he was isolated from any outside contact, though authorities eventually allowed visits from his parents. Officials referred to Kong as "too stubborn" and uncooperative.

Praise God that Father Kong was released. Pray for his full recovery. Continue to pray for many others that are still imprisoned in China because of their faith.

For more information on the mistreatment and suffering experienced by Christians in China, click here.

Sudanese Constitution Signed Allowing Religious Freedom

July 6 was an historic day in Sudan, as Sudan's National Assembly passed a new constitution, stepping back from full Islamic rule. John Garang, former head of the SPLM rebel movement in southern Sudan was also sworn in as vice-president on July 9, and he took leadership of the autonomous administration running the affairs of the predominantly Christian and animist southern region of Sudan.

For years Sudan suffered under the ravages of a civil war involving oil rights along with racial and religious differences between southern Sudan and the Muslim-controlled government. The civil war ended when peace talks finally brought a lasting peace accord in January 2005. Under the new constitution, Islam is recognized as the majority religion in the country, but notes the place of Christianity and traditional religions. Under the peace agreement, a referendum is to be held in six years to decide if southern Sudan will gain full independence.

Praise God for the progress that has been made in Sudan. Pray that religious freedom will be respected in all areas of the country and that Christians will be truly free to practice their faith. Pray for the leaders of Sudan, as they lay out the course for their country in the coming days.

For more information on the difficulties Christians have been facing in Sudan, click here.

Church Loses Court Appeal in Uzbekistan

The last legal Protestant church in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan (Qoraqalpoghiston) in northwestern Uzbekistan has lost their official registration on appeal. According to a July 11 report from Forum 18, members of the Emmanuel Full Gospel Church had been appealing a ban on religious activities by the regional Justice Ministry. On July 5, a court in the regional capital of Nukus rejected the appeal, closing the last legal church in the region.

In 1998, a new religion law was passed in Karakalpakstan making any religious activity outside of an officially recognized church illegal. Christians in the region are routinely harassed and pressured to leave Christianity. In one recent case (June 29), a convert from Islam to Christianity, Daniyara Ibaidulayev, was beaten by his brother and another villager in the village of Yanboshkala in Tartkul district on the outskirts of Nukus. The village administration has also cut off Ibaidulayev's gas supply and it has forbidden him to use water for growing food. When Ibaidulayev appealed for help, the district's public prosecutor's office told him that his problems would all cease as soon as he returns to Islam.

Pray for Ibaidulayev and others suffering for their faith in Uzbekistan. Pray for Christians who must now meet in secret in order to continue worshipping Jesus Christ.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Uzbekistan, click here.

Persecution & Prayer Alert

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