Persecution & Prayer Alert

Peter Shao Zhumin, a Catholic priest who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as an auxiliary bishop, became the bishop of the Diocese of Wenzhou in 2016. However, over the years, Bishop Shao has stood in opposition to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Not acknowledging its authority over the church, he refused to join the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. In response, the official association appointed a different bishop to replace him; however, many members of the diocese do not recognize the association's appointment.

On March 6th, Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of the Lahore High Court unexpectedly resigned from his judicial post as a court official, effective immediately. The judge cited "personal issues" as the reason for his resignation.

For the past several months, members of the Uzbek parliament have been deliberating over revisions to their existing religion laws. On June 26th, 2024, a draft law was published. Recently, as of February 21st, this new law officially came into effect. For more information, see this page.