Crackdown on religion must be challenged

Religious freedom is a vital human right that deserves to be respected even in authoritarian countries, writes the Chicago Tribune in an editorial.

THIS past year was a bad one for China’s religious believers, particularly Christians and Muslims. In January, military police closed a church in the province of Shanxi that had some 50,000 congregants — not by locking the doors but by dynamiting the building. In December, the Government seized a church in the city of Chengdu, arresting the pastor and more than 100 of his parishioners, some of whom said they were beaten.

Both churches were guilty of operating without official permission under a new set of regulations designed to tighten the Chinese Government’s control of religion in all its forms. Human Rights Watch says hundreds of unauthorised churches have been demolished in a campaign ‘‘to ensure that religious groups support the Government and the Communist Party’’.

The Catholic Church has been forced into an uncomfortable accommodation to keep operating in China. Under an agreement reached in September, Pope Francis accepted seven bishops appointed by the Government and gained a veto over the bishops Beijing chooses in the future.

It’s not just organised Christianity that has been targeted. Individual belief also is under attack. In April, the Government barred online merchants from selling the Bible, which may now be bought only at church stores.

President Donald Trump is not known for his fervour over human rights, but his administration has focused attention on Beijing’s hostility towards religion. In September, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced ‘‘an intense new government crackdown on Christians in China’’. In October, Vicepresident Mike Pence asserted: ‘‘For China’s Christians, these are desperate times.’’

The Administration has also decried persecution of Muslims, some 1 million of whom are held in reeducation camps in Xinjiang. In September, the White House indicated it was considering sanctions on individual Chinese officials involved in the crackdown.

No faith is exempt from official interference and control. ‘‘All of the five religions officially tolerated by Chinese leaders — Buddhism, Catholicism, Daoism, Islam and Protestantism — are now experiencing draconian treatment from the Government of President Xi Jinping,’’ reported The Washington Post.

Communist regimes have long tried to stamp out religion. But the number of Christians in China has grown by about 10% a year since 1979 and in 10 years or so, China could have the world’s largest population of Christians.

Such growth ‘‘makes the Government very nervous’’, University of Notre Dame political scientist Karrie Koesel told the Post. ‘‘It’s not because they’re challenging the State, but the State sees religion as an existential threat.’’

Religious freedom, however, is a vital human right that deserves to be respected even in authoritarian countries. The Trump Administration can’t dictate what the Chinese Government does towards its religious citizens, but it can make sure that the world is fully aware of its abuses — and that at least some of the abusers pay a price. — TCA