New rules will soon also target religious activities carried out entirely online.
Police and religious affairs officials across China are warning tens of millions of Christians in the country not to gather to celebrate Christmas, with many citing the coronavirus pandemic, RFA has learned.
The pastor of an unofficial Protestant “house church” in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong who gave only the surname Chen said local police had contacted him on Dec. 22 to make sure his church didn’t organize anything.
“In our town, we’re not allowed Christmas gatherings, not even parties,” Chen said. “This is also happening in Henan [province] and other places, using the pandemic as a pretext.”
