An informal coalition of Christians from six continents is planning a week-long global “Pray for China” campaign from May 23 to 30, according to a news release Tuesday from the U.S.-based civil religious advocacy group China Aid. The campaign will include prayers for the Chinese church and the oppressed Uighur community in Xinjiang, prisoners of conscience, Protestant pastors, activists and Hong Kong citizens in prison.
“China Aid noted that China faces its worst human rights crisis since the 1989 Tiananmen massacre and its worst religious repression since the Cultural Revolution. While the Communist regime has always been repressive, it is currently accused of genocide, repeated violations of international treaties, sweeping attacks on all forms of dissent, civil society activism or independent media, and wars of faith.
Members of this global Christian coalition are said to include U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, British Lord David Alton, Canadian MP Garnett Genuis, Australian MP Kevin Andrews Andrews, Andrew Bennett, former Canadian Special Envoy for Religious Freedom, and others.
According to reports, the event was inspired by Cardinal Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, and president of the Asian bishops’ conference, who proposed the idea of extending the World Day of Prayer for China by one week last March. Cardinal took a very courageous and welcome step in calling on people around the world to pray for the Church and the people of China, said Andrew Bennett, spokesman for the coalition.
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