China: The Truth About Going To Church Please

I am happy to report we Catholics enjoyed a lovely Easter Sunday Mass a couple of weeks back here in Shanghai. In fact, we attended the Saturday evening Vigil service, even more lovely with everyone in the congregation holding a candle. So did millions of other Chinese and foreigners all across China.

Here’s the welcome title you find at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Shanghai website:

WELCOME TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC COMMUNITY!
The Sacred Heart of Jesus (SHJ) church is a vibrant and diverse parish in the heart of the new Pudong district of Shanghai, consisting of local nationals and expatriates from all over the world. We are a warm, welcoming faith community and we invite you to join us.

Surprised?

What?! You did go to church on Easter Sunday?! And every Sunday?! And even during the week! No way! You’re in China!…I read those big, fat must-be-true western mainstream media headlines that said the government was preventing tens of thousands from going to church! And on Easter!!

Not true, and people need to know that.

I am the first person to objectively observe and note the good and bad things going on in any country across the globe and this hot topic is one that is unfortunately being misused and abused for years by many outside of China. In our case, we attend at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pudong. Feel free to click on the link. Amazing, you actually find a real live church! In fact, this one reminds me of St. Maria Goretti’s back in Scottsdale, Arizona where my family is.

The world needs to know that the media hype accusations of restricting religious freedom here in China are exactly that; media nonsense hype. We attend Sacred Heart in Pudong near where we live and there are several other churches in the Catholic Diocese here in Shanghai which are attended by anyone, foreign or Chinese, who would like to attend. Our Easter Sunday service was the same as any Easter Sunday service you might attend back in the United States. It is in fact my dear friends, that simple. Any church such as the Shouwang church up in Beijing that is so famously reported on for being shutdown is an unregistered church.

So let me ask you a question: Are there unregistered, unlicensed churches or other types of organizations or businesses along the streets in the United States? No, there are not. Neither in Canada nor Europe nor Australia, too. Any type of entity, whether it is a business, a charity or a church is required by laws to register in the city or county or state they are located. I remember another hype story in western media about China shutting down internet cafes, again, as a sign of control and censorship. It was nothing of the sort; those internet cafes were unregistered, illegal businesses cheating on their tax liabilities and zoning, building safety ordinances; that’s why they were shut down and that’s why they would also be instantly shutdown in other countries too.

Have you tried opening an unregistered, unlicensed business of any type back in America? What happens? Its not even possible. City and county inspectors and tax authorities will show up before your doors are even open asking you to produce the registrations and licenses required to open a business starting with electrical and plumbing and a license for the type of organization you are engaged in. It is in fact my dear friends, that simple, and it is no different for church organizations in America or China. I’m Catholic. I’m here. I know firsthand. So don’t believe western media hype. When I read the big, fat headlines over Easter weekend in western media that China was blocking Easter services, I thought it is so unfortunate people are being mislead.

Chinese and foreigner Catholics all across China freely enjoy attending Catholic Mass services. In addition, the Catholic church communities offer the standard courses for those interested in becoming Catholics in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. More so, Caritas Shanghai is the official charitable outreach for the Catholic Diocese here, supporting a variety of charitable needs across the community. There are also flourishing Protestant churches. That’s what you need to know. As a Catholic, one would hope that the Chinese government would allow the direct connection to the Vatican which is still restricted. Besides that, we all enjoy the ability to practice our faith.

(May 4, 2011, AP) China says US report on religious policy biased A U.S. commission that accused Beijing of restricting religious freedom is biased and is meddling in China’s internal affairs, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Chinese citizens enjoy “complete religious freedom” despite the assertions by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in a report issued last week. In a statement, Jiang urged the commission to “abandon its prejudices, respect facts and stop intervening in China’s domestic affairs by means including issuing reports.” In its annual report, the commission listed China among the worst violators of religious freedom, saying the government imposes severe restrictions on unregistered religious groups and those deemed to threaten national security or social harmony.

There are plenty of societal issues in countries across the globe to be genuinely concerned about. Yet let’s be guided as we observe such issues by the facts and realities, not mainstream media hype.

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