Update: Date Set for Chinese Pastor's Trial

06 July 2005

China Aid has confirmed the trial date for Pastor Cai Zhuohua, his wife and two other family members. The trial is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on July 7 (8:00 p.m. on July 6, Eastern Time) at the People's Court of Haidian District, Beijing. The presiding judge will be Mr. You Tao.

According to copies of the prosecution papers obtained by China Aid, Pastor Cai and the others will be prosecuted for "illegal business management" because they allegedly printed over 200,000 copies of Christian literature (click here for more details on the initial charges). Prominent lawyers and legal scholars have volunteered to defend Pastor Cai, believing that this is a case of religious persecution.

Please pray for Pastor Cai, his wife Xiao Yunfei, her brother Xiao Gaowen and sister-in-law, Hu Jinyun, as they stand trial for their faith. Pray for wisdom for their lawyers. Pray that they will know the presence of God's Spirit with them in the midst of these difficulties.

For more information on persecution in China, click here.

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.