China called upon to make more civic space for religion
-25/11/06
At a press conferenc
China called upon to make more civic space for religion
-25/11/06
At a press conference following their meeting with Chinese government officials towards the end of the recent World Council of Churches team visit, WCC general secretary the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia affirmed that “it is in the best interests of the government to actually expand the space for the practice of religion”.
The WCC chief said he had been impressed by the way in which Christian communities are growing in the country, and by the enabling and safe environment in which Christians practise their faith.
He encouraged the Chinese government to ensure wider participation and involvement of religious people in efforts to bring about the Chinese vision of a “harmonious society”.
“It would be detrimental to the government if it is not seen to be providing freedom of religion,” Dr Kobia observed.
“If China wants to be the kind of global player that it is clearly becoming, then there are norms and standards” in terms of religious freedom “which will be expected of its government, and I think they are aware of this,” he said.
On 22 November 2006, Dr Kobia and members of an ecumenical delegation visited the Dong Zhou Children’s Village in San Yuan County, Shaanxi Province.
They spent time with 29 children under the age of 14 whose parents are in prison, executed or unable to meet their basic needs. “Although the parents of these children paid for their own crimes, their children are innocent,” an official told the delegation.
The Village, which is supported by the Amity Foundation, the Shaanxi Christian Council and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), aims to provide a healthy environment and protect the children from becoming child labourers, garbage collectors, street children or falling into illegal activities.
The ecumenical delegation accompanying the WCC general secretary on his China visit from 15-22 November 2006was composed of the Rev Dr Tyrone Pitts (WCC central committee member, general secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, USA); the Rev Dr Seong-Won Park (WCC central committee member, from the Presbyterian Church of Korea, South Korea); the Rev Fr Gabriel Papanicolaou (ecumenical officer of the Orthodox Church of Greece), Dr Mathews George Chunakara, (WCC Asia secretary) and, as consultants, Dr Monika Gaenssbauer (director of the China Study Project of the Protestant churches and mission agencies in Germany) and the Rev Deborah DeWinter (WCC programme executive for the United States).
China called upon to make more civic space for religion
-25/11/06
At a press conference following their meeting with Chinese government officials towards the end of the recent World Council of Churches team visit, WCC general secretary the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia affirmed that “it is in the best interests of the government to actually expand the space for the practice of religion”.
The WCC chief said he had been impressed by the way in which Christian communities are growing in the country, and by the enabling and safe environment in which Christians practise their faith.
He encouraged the Chinese government to ensure wider participation and involvement of religious people in efforts to bring about the Chinese vision of a “harmonious society”.
“It would be detrimental to the government if it is not seen to be providing freedom of religion,” Dr Kobia observed.
“If China wants to be the kind of global player that it is clearly becoming, then there are norms and standards” in terms of religious freedom “which will be expected of its government, and I think they are aware of this,” he said.
On 22 November 2006, Dr Kobia and members of an ecumenical delegation visited the Dong Zhou Children’s Village in San Yuan County, Shaanxi Province.
They spent time with 29 children under the age of 14 whose parents are in prison, executed or unable to meet their basic needs. “Although the parents of these children paid for their own crimes, their children are innocent,” an official told the delegation.
The Village, which is supported by the Amity Foundation, the Shaanxi Christian Council and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), aims to provide a healthy environment and protect the children from becoming child labourers, garbage collectors, street children or falling into illegal activities.
The ecumenical delegation accompanying the WCC general secretary on his China visit from 15-22 November 2006was composed of the Rev Dr Tyrone Pitts (WCC central committee member, general secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, USA); the Rev Dr Seong-Won Park (WCC central committee member, from the Presbyterian Church of Korea, South Korea); the Rev Fr Gabriel Papanicolaou (ecumenical officer of the Orthodox Church of Greece), Dr Mathews George Chunakara, (WCC Asia secretary) and, as consultants, Dr Monika Gaenssbauer (director of the China Study Project of the Protestant churches and mission agencies in Germany) and the Rev Deborah DeWinter (WCC programme executive for the United States).