China: Churches forced to donate to Communist Party or stay shut
State-sponsored churches in parts of China that were forced to close due to COVID-19 lockdowns are only permitted to reopen if they hand money over to the Chinese Communist Party, according to a new report.
A Three-Self church director from Heze, a prefecture-level city in the eastern province of Shandong, told Bitter Winter that state-run churches in the area have been ordered to collect money for coronavirus-affected areas. According to the director, officials from the local Religious Affairs Bureau threatened to shut down many churches if they did not donate.
Authorities in Zhangcun town issued donation quotas ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 RMB (between $560 and $1,400) to Three-Self churches, while Christians in Xianju were ordered to donate 100 RMB (about $14) to Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak....