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TechnoratiA temporary church will be set up in the Olympic Village during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, a state-backed church official has reported.
“All will be arranged in accordance with the practices adopted by other Olympics host cities,” said Liu Bainian, vice-president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and a Chinese political adviser, according to the official China Daily newspaper.
Furthermore, Olympics organizers reported that a religious service center will be set up in the Olympic Village with professional religious personnel providing services to meet the needs of athletes from various religious convictions.
A total of 60 volunteers from the five major religions in China – Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism and Catholicism – recently attended a three-day training session organized by the Beijing municipal administration of religious affairs for providing religious services during the Games.
"The majority of the foreign visitors expected during the 2008 Games have religious beliefs, and we should cater to their needs," said Liu earlier this year, according to China Daily.
China, which is known for heavily restricting all religious activity inside the communist country, has been making massive efforts to clean up its image as it prepares for the influx of visitors it expects to come with the Olympic tide. In addition to the latest development, China is also engaged in a number of other fix-ups, including ridding restaurant menus of mangled English translations, moving heavily polluting industries out of town, shaping up the slack behavior of its police officials, and checking the quality of many foods in a crackdown on unsafe products.
While many of China’s clean-up efforts have been welcomed, others have been rebuked.
According to the U.S.-based China Aid Association (CAA), China has witnessed an increase in the number of “illegal” Christian groups that have been arrested across the country after a crackdown ordered by the Chinese government in July.
Since mid-July, a string of arrests and other forms of persecution in at least eight Chinese provinces has taken place including Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi and Anhui, CAA reported last month. At least 17 Christian leaders of unregistered churches have been detained.
“The Chinese church believers are faithful peace-makers in building a stable moral society in China,” asserted the Rev. Bob Fu, president of CAA, in a statement.
“We call upon the Chinese government to correct this grave misunderstanding by allowing these faithful to contribute more social services without fear of arrest and retribution,” he added.
Currently, Chinese Christians are only allowed to worship in Communist-controlled churches. All activities outside of designated churches are deemed illegal and members of “underground” house churches face fines, imprisonment, and sometimes even torture.
Authorities have imprisoned some while others are punished for hosting Sunday schools in their homes by having their water and electricity cut off by the government.
The latest crackdown ordered by authorities is part of a national campaign against crime and economic disorder in the villages, according to The Associated Press. Continue »
