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Pastor Zhuohua Cai |
On March 5, AsiaNews published a list of 19 Roman Catholic bishops and 18 priests arrested or prevented from carrying out their ministry by the Chinese authorities. The list includes six bishops who were arrested and have disappeared. One was arrested in 1996. The purpose of the article is to raise awareness of their plight and to begin a campaign aimed at gaining the release of these prisoners of faith. The Voice of the Martyrs encourages your involvement. A list of these leaders and addresses you can write to on their behalf is available online at (click here).
On a possibly more encouraging note, Australian news agency, The Age, reported on March 5 that China is preparing to change their policy on "re-education through labour," which allows police to imprison anyone without trial for up to four years. According to a Chinese Justice Department official, the new system would allow for an appeal to the courts as well as the right to a lawyer. It is believed this change may be a concession to the European Union in an attempt to lift its arms embargo on China. VOM Spokesman, Glenn Penner, expressed cautiousness at the news. "Of course, only time will tell," he stated, "whether genuine change in this draconian policy will materialize or if Chinese authorities will simply find another, less obvious, way of violating the basic human rights of those whom they wish to detain without going through the judicial system. The international community needs to be vigilant in keeping China accountable regarding this. It is too easy just to accept their stated intentions and believe that this is progress."
Pray for real and lasting change in China. Pray that those detained for their beliefs will be strong in their faith and stand firm in the face of torture. Pray for the release of those detained.
For more information on persecution facing Christians in China, click here.
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