WCC strengthens relations with official Chinese churches

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has expressed gratitude for a gathering with Christian organisations in China.

The WCC has also welcomed the “official” recognition of spiritual freedom within the country, despite recent concerns that China is in actual fact cracking down on unregistered churches.

In what was described as a “Pilgrimage Encounter Message”, the WCC thanked each the China Christian Council (CCC) and the National Committee of the Three Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China for his or her hospitality. Both organisations are officially sanctioned by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The WCC said its meeting with the bodies, each of that are also members of the WCC, had helped construct relationships, particularly between newer leaders within the organisations.

The WCC said in an announcement, “We have welcomed hearing the clear official commitment of the Chinese government to spiritual freedom in China, and look ahead to occasions for learning more concerning the current status and further fulfilment of this commitment.” 

Despite this official commitment, anti-persecution groups have suggested that religious freedom often doesn’t extend to churches which refuse to position themselves under government control.

According to Open Doors, China has recently begun cracking down on unregistered churches. In September it was reported that 70 Christians had been detained, with some being arrested in the midst of church services.

The WCC didn’t raise such concerns of their message, selecting as a substitute to praise the Chinese government for promoting the work of the United Nations and developments in the world of climate change.

“Meeting in China right now of accelerating global challenges – including proliferating conflict, rising geopolitical tensions, increasing division, an accelerating climate crisis, and weakening commitment to the multilateral cooperation needed to handle these challenges – we acknowledge the increasingly necessary role of China within the international community,” the WCC said. 

“We have been especially impressed during this visit by China’s evolving leadership in driving the renewable energy transition,” it continued.

“The scale of this investment, and its impact, is staggering.”