BEIJING – Chinese Catholics pray day and night in front of government shutdowns in the Mindong diocese of China. Photos and videos of worshipers sitting in front of shrines, including Buxia in the town of Sadiqi, have now gone viral on social media. The online magazine, Bitter Winter, has exposed these images of the Chinese government’s violation of religious freedom and the zeal of Chinese believers.
Bitter Winter released a picture of the faithful praying in front of the Buxia shrine in the town of Saiki at around 4 am on January 19. In the video filmed in the dark, believers can light a candle and pray. The magazine has also released a picture of believers praying in front of surveillance cameras at the entrance of the Huanahouli Catholic Church. These surveillance cameras were installed after the shrine was closed. Images of the altar and other sacred objects of the Catholic Church in Dongshao have been revealed before and after the government’s removal.
This, too, is on the rise. The government has also closed the palace of Bishop Vincent Guo Sij, former bishop of Mindong diocese. He had been homeless for several months for refusing to join a government-approved church. In September 2018, the Vatican and China signed an agreement on the appointment of bishops, but many churches have since been shut down by the Communist Party-led government.
Much of the closure was done by clergy-related churches that are not members of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), a state-recognized church. Bitter Winter points out that as of January 16, sixteen temples in Fujian city of Fujian province have been closed. These are the shrines under the China Church. The Diocese of Mindong consists of ninety thousand believers and 69 clergy.
