China's persecution of Christians spreading to Hong Kong, Release International warns

By Christian Today, Tuesday, June 04, 2024

Helicopters fly past with the Hong Kong and Chinese flags during a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China, in Hong Kong on July 1, 2022. - President Xi Jinping hailed China's rule over Hong Kong as he lead 25th anniversary celebrations of the city's handover from Britain on July 1, insisting that democracy is flourishing despite a years-long political crackdown that has silenced dissent. | ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP via Getty Images

The persecution of Christians in mainland China is spreading to Hong Kong, Release International has warned on the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

The massacre in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, brought a brutal end to pro-democracy protests and marked an increase in the persecution of Christians.

Release International stated in a report Monday that 35 years on, Christians in China are facing the worst levels of persecution since the Cultural Revolution and that the threat is spreading to Hong Kong, where national security laws have had a chilling effect on free speech and religious freedom.

The organization, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide, said that a new law could force Catholic priests in Hong Kong to reveal the secrets of the confessional.

Under Article 23, passed in March, priests could be jailed for up to 14 months if they refuse to disclose so-called crimes of treason shared during confession.

Release International partner Bob Fu said that if priests were forced to violate the trust of Catholics coming to confession, "China will go down a very dangerous path towards persecution."

Fu, who has spent years campaigning for religious freedom in China, said that many Christians had already left Hong Kong and that "their preferred destination is the United Kingdom."

He said that Britain has a moral obligation to stand up for religious freedom in its former colony.

"Hong Kongers are expecting the U.K. to stand strong for their religious freedom and to speak up for them, and to take all necessary measures to protect those who flee persecution," he said.

A recent report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states that China is tightening its grip on practicing Christians and that believers in Hong Kong and beyond China's national borders are being affected.

Release International CEO Paul Robinson said, "The long-running crackdown on mainland China now appears to be extending to Hong Kong."

"Religious freedom is the cornerstone of all freedoms. Our partners describe the current crackdown on Christians as the harshest since Mao Tse Tung's Cultural Revolution."

"Together we call on the world to wake up and recognize the severity of the persecution in China that is gathering pace. This threat against Christians goes beyond their national borders."

This article was originally published by Christian Today.