Chinese Catholics forced to cancel summer camps and Bible classes in order to avoid crackdown

Authorities in Mainland China are
continuing to make it harder for children to
be nurtured in their faith by reportedly
prohibiting Catholic churches from running
summer camps and other programming.
According to the Union of Catholic Asia
News , dioceses in China have received
warnings about a prohibition instituted on
summer camps by the communist
government in recent years. As a result,
some churches have been forced to cancel
all related activities.

The reported ban on summer camps comes
as reports indicated in recent years that
new regulations barred minors from
entering churches in several regions of the
country. It was also said that church
leaders were asked to put up signs telling
kids they may not enter houses of worship
or church premises.

According to the news agency, a Chinese
diocese had organized two summer camps
in northern China this summer. However,
only one of them was held successfully,
while the other was canceled.

A source with the diocese told
ucanews.com that the one camp was
successfully held because it was not
promoted publicly by the diocese or
parishes. The second camp, however, was
openly promoted and canceled by the
government.

The source, named only as “John” in the
report, explained that there was no
government opposition when camps were
organized privately.
“It’s alright if the camp is held privately but
once it goes public, it isn’t allowed,” John
was quoted as saying. “It must take place
in secret.

John also stated that some dioceses in
northern China do not promote their camps
as serving an educational purpose. Rather,
the churches promote the activities as
childcare for parents who are unable to
take their kids to work with them.

According to John, the government does
not allow churches to organize events or
activities that are labeled as educational.
“Even if they apply according to their
(government) rules, they wouldn’t be
approved,” John claimed.

A source from another diocese in northern
China told ucanews.com that a summer
class that was scheduled to be hosted at a
big parish in the area had to be moved to a
location in a rural village out of fear of
government retaliation.
Even in southern China, leaders have been
forced to cancel planned events.
A lay Catholic leader who spoke with
ucanews.com explained that a
businessman who organizes a class every
year for students at his local office
canceled this year’s class because of the
current “atmosphere” and fear of
“repercussions on his business.”

“I also applied for my kid, but the
businessperson later said that ‘because the
recent atmosphere has become worse,’ it
had to be canceled,” the layperson
explained.
China ranks as the 27th worst nation in the
world when it comes to Christian
persecution, according to Open Doors
USA’s 2019 World Watch List .

Open Doors USA notes in a factsheet that
management of religious affairs lies with
the Communist Party in China. Since the
party instituted new regulations on religion,
treatment of varying religious groups has
become “much harsher across the
country.”
In 2018, the Chinese government reached a
deal with the Vatican to recognize
government-appointed bishops and depose
prominent Christian leaders. The deal was
criticized by religious freedom advocates
as a “betrayal” of millions of Christians
suffering persecution in China.

In June, it was reported that the communist
government was forcing state-sanctioned
churches to replace the singing of
traditional hymns with songs that praise
the communist regime.
Over the last several years, several
Chinese underground house churches have
been closed and many believers have been
arrested.

China’s crackdown on religion also impacts
Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan
Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, and other
religious minority communities in China.
An issue raised heavily by international
advocates currently is China’s detainment
of an estimated 1 million to 3
million Uighur and Kazakh Muslims in
Western China. While the China government
has claimed these camps to be education
centers, the U.S. has labeled these
facilities as ” concentration camps .”

China has for years been listed by the U.S.
State Department as a “country of
particular concern” for religious freedom
violations.