Authorities confiscate Bibles and books from Rongguili Church on Dec. 16, 2018. (Photo: Handout) |
ChinaAid
(Guangzhou—Dec. 31, 2018) Authorities from several government departments raided Rongguili Church in Guangzhou on Dec. 16, confiscating a number of items and labeling the church “illegitimate.”
One church member said, “We heard many people walking upstairs when the Sunday School was halfway through. Then, a multitude of police, about 40-50, came in … They read their law enforcement announcements one after the other, saying that this is an illegitimate gathering and that [the church] illegally prints publications and unlawfully raises funds.”
Law enforcement also demanded that everyone in attendance write down their personal information, including children.
“They asked the children’s names and who they came with. They lectured them and let them go after double-checking their information,” a Christian said.
The officials also took books and Bibles and forced the congregants to power off their phones and place them on tables before going downstairs to fill out a form. Each Christian also received a notification saying that the church violated the Regulations on Religious Affairs, particularly a clause forbidding “religious donations.”
Police also cordoned off the church.
ChinaAid Media Team
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