US State Department condemns China’s Communist Party for detaining prominent Christian pastor
Caroline MolloyThe U.S. State Department condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Oct. 12 for detaining dozens of Christian leaders from the underground Zion Church, including prominent Beijing pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin, whose family has U.S. citizenship.
“This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches,” the department said in an Oct. 12 statement.
The department urged the CCP to “immediately release the detained church leaders and to allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution.”
Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin, told Fox News Digital that Chinese authorities detained her father and nearly 30 other Zion Church pastors and workers across Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Beihai, Jiaxing, and Huangdao on Oct. 10, FOX News reported.
“One after another, they were also taken, detained,” Grace said, according to FOX News. “Like, they were saying that there were people outside their doors, and then one at a time they were taken into custody.”
Because Zion Church is not registered with the Chinese government, it is considered unlawful under CCP regulations, the Associated Press reported.
Grace said authorities shut down the church in 2018 because of its growing influence. Before its closure, Zion Church drew as many as 1,500 people each week.
