China launches crackdown on unregistered churches in Xinjiang

Chinese authorities in Xinjiang has warned underground churches throughout the region to stop all activities as part of the government's "anti-terrorism" campaign.

A religious affairs official confirmed on Thursday that members of underground Catholic churches, as well as Protestant churches, must now worship in state-approved churches, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.

"Yes, that's right. They all have to worship in [an officially approved] church," said the official from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government's religious and ethnic minority affairs bureau.

In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has increased pressure on faith groups to either join the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Association or the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which has no ties with the Vatican.

Under the Three-Self Patriotic Association, the Communist Party makes the final decision on who is allowed to preach, what topics can be preached and how many people can be baptized each year.

There are about 68 million Protestants and nine million Catholics in China. Around 23 million Protestants are members of state-affiliated churches and about 5.7 million Catholics belong to state-sponsored organizations.

According to a resident of Aksu prefecture's Shayar county, churches in Aksu and Korla has stopped meeting altogether, and the locals have been warned that those who meet for worship would be charged with illegal assembly. Local sources told RFA that the authorities have closed down two churches on Feb. 19 and have taken 21 of its members to the police station for questioning.

A member of a Protestant house church in the Ili Kazakh prefecture said that some church members in the prefecture have already been sent to jail.

"We don't dare gather for worship now. The police are saying it's part of terrorism prevention in Xinjiang, and that they won't allow gatherings of even a few people," the church member said.

"I heard that several churches in [Xinjiang's capital] Urumqi have been targeted. They are also going after people regarded as participating in evil cults. The police want our church to join the Three-Self Patriotic Association," the church member added.

The church member further noted that many of those detained were members of the Fangcheng Fellowship, one of China's largest house church networks, adding that some, but not all, have been released.