Chinese Religious Officials To Visit Germany

China Aid Association
China’s state-controlled church will send a delegation to visit Germany, under the invitation of the nation’s Evangelical Church to attend the largest ecumenical gathering there.
Hudson TsueiCorrespondent
Tuesday, May. 22, 2007 Posted: 5:36:PM PST
China’s state-controlled church will send a delegation to visit Germany, under the invitation of the nation’s Evangelical Church.
The 12-member China Christian delegation will bring with them the Chinese Bible exhibition, which has already debuted in Hong Kong in 2004 and the United States in 2006.
The group consists of CCC/TSPM representatives from the Chinese provinces of Henan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Gansu and Liaoning as well as members from the cities of Shanghai and Tianjin.
Led by Rev. Mei Kangjun, Exec. Assoc. Gen. Sec. of the National Committee of the TSPM, the party plans to visit local churches in the cities of Hamburg, Berlin, Essen and Cologne from May 13 thru June 10, 2007.
“The month-long trip€¦is to know about various ministries of the German grassroots churches, and share with German pastors and colleagues to promote fellowship with enhance friendship,” according to a press-release posted on the TSPM website.
The Bible exhibit will be held in the German city of Cologne for the upcoming Kirchentag, the largest convention of churches in the nation.
This will be the first time for China’s official church to participate in the gathering.
The exhibition, which will include artifacts from early to late Chinese Bible history, is hosted by the Bible Society of Hong Kong, China Christian Council (CCC) and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of Protestant Churches (TSPM).
According to the CCC/TSPM, the distribution of the Bible in China has increased in large numbers after the end of the Cultural Revolution.
Religious Freedom and Christian Persecution monitors have disputed this claim, pointing out that only Bibles printed by the official church are allowed in China.
Last year, house church leader Cai Zhou-hua was imprisoned by Chinese authorities for printing Bibles and books, which has led to protest from various human rights advocates.
China’s Christians continue to be divided between underground house churches and government-supported churches.