Petition to Wu Bangguo: For 60 years Christians have been deprived of freedom guaranteed by the Constitution. Criticism of the government's religious policy, which does not respect the UN Declaration on Human Rights, though signed by Beijing. Christian leaders ask for an investigation into violence against the Shouwang community, deprived of a place of worship. For five Sundays in a row the faithful tried to gather in public, but are being constantly arrested.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A group of underground Protestant churches have issued a petition to the Chinese parliament (the National People's Congress, NPC), asking for respect for religious freedom, according to the dictates of the constitution.

The text is addressed to Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC and asks the parliament to finally produce a law guaranteeing religious freedom, and regulations for the use and abuse of provincial governments. The churches also complain about the programmatic violence with which for years the "underground" or "domestic" Protestant churches are closed and their buildings destroyed.

The petitioners are Heads of the 17 most popular Protestant Churches. The courageous gesture appears to be motivated by the recent arrests and bans on the Shouwang Church, whose faithful, deprived of a place of gathering, decided to hold Sunday services in outdoor areas of Zhongguangcun. For five Sundays in a row, the police have blocked and arrested dozens of Christians.

This is the first time that so many Christian groups have made a public petition to the government accusing the fact that "for 60 years the right to religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution to the Christians of the country has not been put into practise." For this the leaders are asking the NPC to verify the constitutionality of the government's religious policy, which suppresses religious freedom stifling communities and forcing them to enter the government church, a move that has subtle political interests.

The petition also accuses China of not respecting the religious freedom clause of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which Beijing officially signed. "Freedom of religion - the document states - includes freedom of assembly, association, speech, education and evangelization."

The leaders of underground churches claim to be fully Christians and fully citizens of the state, "lovers of the nation", eager to "pray for the government" and a China that has an increasingly important and responsible role in the international community.

The petition also asks for an investigation into attempts by the authorities to close the Shouwang community, the largest Protestant community in the capital, with about 1000 members, mostly businessmen and university professors. Many of them have been arrested in recent weeks.

The official reason for the arrest is that the faithful can not meet in an illegal place. Moreover, the Shouwang community was expelled years ago from a building and a few months ago had rented restaurant dining-room where the faithful gathered. At the same time, the Church of Shouwang asked to be officially recognized, but the government prevented recognition. For Beijing, all Protestant communities should be brought together in the "Three-Self Movement," an interfaith organization controlled by the party. The underground Christians, however, reject such control and instead demand freedom in matters of religion.

In China there are more unofficial Protestant Christians (80 million) than members of the Three-Self Movement (20 million). Lest the situation get out of the Party’s control, for almost four years now a campaign to eliminate the underground communities or merge them into the official community has been underway (see 16/11/2007: Secret party document wants to “normalise” Chinese Protestants).

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