#Newspaper

Sharp Power on Vatincan by China: Joseph HA Chi-shing, sympathist of the Anti-ELAB movement, is set aside; Holy See changes decision and appoints Peter CHOY Wai-man to be Hong Kong’s next bishop 2/2

(18 Jan) The position of Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong is still vacant since The Most Reverend Michael YEUNG Ming-cheung passed away in January last year. Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported yesterday that the Holy See had originally intended to appoint Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing to be the new bishop, to which Pope Francis agreed. However, Ha’s public support of the Anti-ELAB movement placed political pressure on Vatican City. It finally changed its mind and appointed the more pro-China Peter Choy Wai-man.

CNA claimed that the new appointment was approved by the Holy See. Choy is one of the four vicars general of the Diocese of Hong Kong. He has a close relationship with His Eminence Cardinal John Tong Hon and good rapport with the Chinese government. Choy had met with Carrie Lam during the height of the protests. Fearing backlash, Tong suggested that the Holy See postpone the announcement of Choy’s appointment.

A senior priest in Hong Kong told CNA that Choy was a “pro-Beijing hawk” and an “enemy of the retired Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun SDB”.  Another Hong Kong priest opined that the Holy See’s decision on the appointment reflects its betrayal of its faithful followers to please China.

Source: Stand News
https://bit.ly/38k1c8V

#Church #BowToChina #SharpPower #Vatican

#Newspaper

Sharp Power on Vatincan by China: Cdl Zen urges cardinals to stop the ‘murder of the Church in China’ 1/2

(8 Jan) In a rare and high-profiled protest, Cardinal Joseph Zen, who is also bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, made a desperate plead to the College of Cardinals, and tried to convince them to change course with Vatican’s agreement with the Chinese Communist Party. The letter dated 27 Sep 2019 was first reported on 8 Jan 2020. Apparently, the pope agreed on 3 July to follow up Zen’s request, but fell silent after Zen actually presented his “dubia” on 10 July. Zen reviewed earlier proofs and expressed his doubts about the sincerity on the CCP’s intention to honour the agreement. He believes the current agreement will put the clandestine priests in danger of losing lives and, ultimately, the worshippers in losing faith with the church.

Source: Life Site
https://bit.ly/36mwDxX

#ReligiousPersecution #ReligiousFreedom #Church #SharpPower #BowToChina

#Newspaper

Coronavirus outbreak stokes anti-Asian bigotry worldwide

Editor’s Note: Giving that many churches were demolished and many Christians are being persecuted by the Chinese authorities over the last few years, the Holy See still showed its greatest kindness when China is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, and not condemning a single word on those matters. Perhaps the Holy See is hoping that such actions can change the Communist party of China (CCP) - might just be a too good of a wish to come true.

(14 Feb) The foreign minister of the People’s Republic of China and counsellor of state, Wang Yi, and the Vatican’s secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, met in Germany. It appears to be the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the communists came to power in China in October 1949. The meeting reflects a significant warming of relations between the two sides, although there are no diplomatic relations between them.
The Vatican said the encounter “recalled the contacts between the two sides that had developed positively over time.”and “renewed the will to pursue the institutional dialogue at a bilateral level to foster the life of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people.”
In recent weeks, the Vatican sent more than 600,000 masks to help protect people from the coronavirus in Wuhan and other communities in China, that was appreciated by the Chinese authorities and reported in the Global Times.

Source: https://bit.ly/37RiDwZ

#Church #Vatican #CCP

#Newspaper

A Protestant pastor in South Korea alleged that the "Wuhan pneumonia" pandemic was “The punishment on China by God for its suppression of religion”

#Korea #Wuhan Pneumonia #New Corona Virus # Protestantism #Christianity #China #Suppression of religion #Sermon

(24-Feb) As indicated from some probes, there were some Protestant pastors of large-scale churches in Korea who preached about the Covid-19, so-called “Wuhan Pneumonia” as in the context of conspiracy theories, like “The judgement on China by God”, or delivered speeches based on unfounded beliefs or being politically biased.

By using the keywords, in terms of “Sermons on New Corona Virus”, some relevant video clips could be found on YouTube on 21 Feb 2020. The key message of those video clips was to associate the new corona virus with suppression of Protestantism in China.

In a sermon entitled <<The road to the end of pandemic>>, which was delivered on 9 Feb by Chi Long Chu, a pastor of Yanggu Church in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, asserted that it was a regrettable act of the Chinese government to suppress God, expelled missionaries, and bombed the churches. The outbreak of the new corona virus was a retribution for such shameful act. The pastor Lee Kim Ho of Daegu Church, in which there were 51 members diagnosed with such virus within one single day on 20 Feb, said that the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, was a sinister in the eyes of God, who had implemented such atrocious policies. Quoting from the Bible, pastor Chi said inflicting people with pandemic back then was a disciplinary action enforced by God, and that is why it is now happening in China.

On top of blaming the Chinese President Xi, pastor Cheung Hin Chik of the Pure Gospel Church in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do also treated this pandemic engulfing Korea as the ammunition to heap criticism on the Korean government. On 9th of this month, Pastor Cheung stated in his sermon that the pandemic has worried him and the ordinary people should be treated fairly. It has now become a war against the virus. The newly on-board Prime Minister of Korea, Chung Sye-kyun, was also embroiled in such offensive remarks, in which his first names [Sye-Kyn] have similar pronunciation as the “Bacteria” in Korean.

As more than half of the patients diagnosed with the new corona virus in Daegu are members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, there have been serious public concerns about closing all the churches to curb the spread of virus so as to avoid it being aggravated by the mass preaching.

Koon Chun Hau, the chief editor of the Christian media <<News and Joy>> specialized in tracking the churches, has been monitoring the coronavirus related content that existed in the sermon and the result was telling. It is not uncommon among big or small-sized churches that the sermons are politically tilted without religious essence. From the secular perspective and neglecting any content about the judgement by God or curses, such sermon can have a profound effect on society considering the social and spiritual influence by the pastors, any misunderstanding could pose much risks in the society as a whole.

Source: Facebook, hani.co.kr
https://bit.ly/2QmGZsL
https://bit.ly/2x7dYu1

Further reading:
South Korea sect leader to face probe over deaths
https://bbc.in/2QqAl4J

#Korea #Coronavirus #Church #Xi #Protestant

#WuhanPneumonia #Church
Russia's Orthodox Church tells staff to disinfect icons amid virus fears

//Russia's Orthodox Church urged worshippers on Tuesday to refrain from the practice of kissing the cross at the end of services and told staff to regularly disinfect religious icons sometimes kissed by churchgoers, as precautions against coronavirus.

...the Novaya Gazeta newspaper last week reported hundreds of worshippers in St Petersburg were kissing a relic being wiped down with a cloth despite fears over the new virus.//

Source: Reuters #Mar17
#Russia #Holy

#Newspaper

China: Police arrest Christians participating in Zoom Easter worship service

//Christians were participating in a Zoom worship service from their homes on Easter Sunday when six leaders were arrested and detained by the Public Security Bureau. 

//The 5,000-member Sichuan house church, led by pastor Wang Yi, has not been able to gather in person since the communist regime shut down the church in 2018 and arrested their pastor and other leaders. Since then, it has opted to gather online.

//At that time I was also in the Zoom call, but there was a long period of time where I did not hear a thing. I thought it’s the network connection issue at first, but I soon heard a quarrel erupt. Our co-worker Wang Jun was questioning some people, [saying], ‘Who are you to do this [to us]?

//One member’s home had its electricity cut off, while others received phone calls that “police [were] coming to visit them soon

Full Article: The Christian Post, (17-Apr)

#Christian #Church #Zoom #Surveillance #Easter #Sichuan

#OpinionArticle

Provincial authorities ordered to eradicate crosses “no matter what,” and in four months, many state-run Protestant churches were left without them by Lu An

//From January to April, crosses were removed from at least 250 Three-Self churches in Lu’an, Ma’anshan, Huaibei, and other cities in the eastern province of Anhui. A local believer revealed that in November and December last year, crosses were removed from 22 Three-Self churches in Bozhou, Huaibei, and two other cities.

//A congregation member told Bitter Winter that local officials claimed that the cross-removal campaign was being implemented in line with a national policy, which requires to eliminate all Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, and other religious symbols. Such orders are being passed down from one government level to another, and every cross in Anhui will be eradicated eventually, the believer added.

//In mid-April, officials from the county’s United Front Work Department and other government institutions removed crosses from all the 33 Three-Self churches in the county. As the cross of the largest church in the county was being removed, believers attempted to save it. Still, the demolition proceeded as planned because local officials feared repercussions from higher authorities for disobeying their orders.

//A congregation member told Bitter Winter that local government officials declared at the end of last year that because of the animosity between the United States and China, the government fears that Christians, whose number is growing in China, will “unite with foreigners against the state.”

Full article: Bitter Winter, (09-Jun)

#China #Church #CrossesRemoved #Religion

⬆️⬆️⬆️ Continue reading

#HumanRights #Dignity #Coronavirus #Church
Churches Open Compounds To Citizens For Meals as Government Bans Dining In

The all-day ban on dine-in meals at restaurants took effect on July 29, 2020. People could be seen eating along the streets during lunch hours. Many churches opened their compounds for the public to have their meals. Many construction workers and white-collared workers were seen having their meals in the churches.

Thomas Law, a priest at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, said that there is hardly a proper place for the citizens to have their lunch, and the provision of places in the church is "a basic act of decency."

Poon Yuk-kuen, May, a pastor of the Methodist Church of Hong Kong, pointed out that she saw many citizens having their meals on the streets.

"We all want to eat. How did Hong Kong fall into such a state?" She also criticized the government for not considering the situation at a grassroots level, as many cleaners are prohibited to stay in the offices that they work for to consume their meals. Therefore, the church was "doing what they should do" while facing the dangers of the epidemic, for the sole purpose of providing comfortable places for the citizens to consume their meals.

Source: InMedia #Jul30
#FailedState

#Newspaper #Church

Sheng Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral prays for introducing medical staff from mainland China, suddenly deletes content about praying for National Security Law

(1 Aug) Sheng Kung Hui Holy Trinity Cathedral, in its latest instalment of the weekly magazine “9th Day of the Pentecost”, originally had included prayer items to “pray that the national security law can bring a prosperous and stable future to Hong Kong, pray for the steady enforcements despite the difficulties, and pray for the successful implementation of such laws in the areas of politics, economics, legal aspects and people’s livelihood” in the “Social, country and the world” section of its weekly prayer topics. However, the aforementioned content was found deleted in the online version of the magazine.

In addition, although there has been heated debates around whether Hong Kong should introduce medical staff from mainland China to assist in dealing with the virus, in the latest weekly prayer topics of the Cathedral, the controversial topic “pray for the high feasibility for Hong Kong to introduce excellent mainland doctors to combat the virus along with local doctors” still remains .

Source: Apple Daily
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#ShengKungHui #MedicalStaff #NationalSecurityLaw #Religion

#PoliticalProsecution #HumanitarianCrisis
HK Police Freeze Charity Church's Account, Arrest at Least 2 Members, Take Away a Social Work and Raid 3 Homeless Hostels

On Dec 7, 2020, the Good Neighbourhood District Church, a registered charity which provides social services and run the “Safeguard Our Generation” campaign, found that their HSBC bank account was frozen.

Read more:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27161

The next day the Narcotics Bureau and Financial Investigation Police raided the church in Fanling, a branch in Kwun Tong and three homeless hostels.

The police arrested a 24-year-old former director of the church and a 37-year-old current staff, accusing them of fraud and money laundry by crowdfunding. Lau Ka-Tung, social worker and church member, was taken to the police station.

The Good Neighbourhood District Church posted at around 6pm on Dec 8, 2020 on Facebook that police raided their office in Fanling with a search warrant issued by the court. Police left at 8pm and took away with them documents as "evidence". Police also put Pastor Roy Chan and his wife on the wanted list.

Social worker Lau Ka-tung wrote on his facebook, reminding Hongkongers to "hang on".

Source: Apple Daily; Lau Ka-tung's Facebook #Dec8
https://bit.ly/36REJCm

https://www.facebook.com/108296297598557/posts/196218175473035/?d=n

#Church #LauKaTung #RoyChan #SafeguardOurGeneration #PoliceState #Retaliation

#Smearing #June4
Hostile Banners Seen outside Churches in Hong Kong, Smearing June 4 Memorial Masses and Warning of National Security Breach

Photo: https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29886

Tomorrow, June 4, 2021, marks 32 years after June 4th Tiananmen Massacre, a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy civilians by the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, in 1989.

In Hong Kong, the annual candlelight vig has been banned by the police. Despite that, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese will continue to organize a Mass outside their seven churches in the evening.

However, on the morning of June 3, 2021, some hostile banners with words "Cult invades religion" were placed outside the churches, smearing the mass as a potential breach of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Porson Chan, project officer of the Commission, responded that they had no intention to correlate the false accusations on the banner to the June 4 Mass, emphasizing that the Mass is a legal religious activity protected by Basic Law. Thus the event would be held as scheduled.

Image: Big
Text: InMedia HK #June3

#PoliticalSuppression #Masses #Church #TiananmenMassacre

====
Related News:

HK Police Arrest #GrannyWong
for "participating in unauthorized assembly" ALONE

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29822

#NeverSurrender: Hong Kong Hospital Authorities Employees' Alliance Speaks Up for June 4 Tiananmen Massacre

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29830

Pro-democracy Activists Reopen June 4th Commemorative Museum in Hong Kong

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29877