Beijing, China, Mar 2, 2020 / 15:00 pm
New pictures and video appear to show Catholics praying outside of churches closed by the government in the Diocese of Mindong, China.
Pictures and video provided to the magazine Bitter Winter, published March 1, show Chinese Catholics praying in the dark outside of closed churches, one of which is identified as being in the town of Saiqi. The magazine also published photos of documentation from local authorities closing churches for fire-safety reasons and installing surveillance cameras outside.
Several Catholic churches in the Diocese of Mindong have been closed by the government in recent months. All of the churches reported to have been closed are affiliated with priests and lay Catholics who have refused to register with the state-sanctioned Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA).
Bitter Winter reported that more than ten churches in the diocese were closed by January 16, in an area that remains heavily-loyal to the underground Catholic Church.