China detains dozens of underground church pastors in crackdown

Police in China detained dozens of pastors of one of its largest underground churches over the weekend, a church spokesperson and relatives said, in the biggest crackdown on Christians since 2018.

BEIJING — Police in China detained dozens of pastors of one of its largest underground churches over the weekend, a church spokesperson and relatives said, in the biggest crackdown on Christians since 2018.

The detentions, which come amid renewed China-U.S. tensions after Beijing dramatically expanded rare earth export controls last week, drew condemnation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called on Sunday for the pastors’ immediate release.

Pastor Jin Mingri, the founder of Zion Church, an unofficial “house church” not sanctioned by the government, was detained at his home in the southern city of Beihai on Friday evening, said his daughter, Grace Jin, and a church spokesperson, Sean Long.

“What just happened is part of a new wave of religious persecution this year,” said Long, adding that the police had questioned more than 150 worshipers and stepped up harassment at in-person Sunday services in recent months.

Speaking to Reuters from his home in the United States, Long added that around the same time, authorities detained nearly 30 pastors and church members nationwide, but later released five.