BEIJING (AP) – China’s Communist regime has not seen a decline in anti-Christian persecution despite the corruption, a new report says. According to the latest reports, Christian burial ceremonies have been banned in some areas as part of the regime’s crackdown. According to UCA News, clergymen are not allowed to participate in funerals outside the shrine in the eastern province of Zijiang, as part of a centralized funeral arrangement.
Fr. Guo revealed to UCA News. He, who works in the government-sanctioned Patriotic Church, said that outside the church, the law strictly forbids work, and that clergy are not allowed to perform religious rituals, such as visiting the homes of believers in rural areas.
The rules are strictly adhered to. Failure to do so would result in the closure of the temple, the cancellation of the priesthood certificate, and the sending of the priest back home. Although the authorities claim that the new law aims to end the practice of burial and scientific and modern burial, observers feel that it is part of the suppression of the Christian faith.
