Washington Calls For Immediate Release Of Detained Zion Church Pastor And Members
WASHINGTON — The United States has issued a sharp rebuke to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after authorities detained dozens of leaders from the unregistered Zion Church, including well-known pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin.
In a statement released by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the U.S. condemned the CCP’s ongoing crackdown on Christians who refuse to submit their faith to Party control.
“This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches,” Rubio said.
The State Department is calling for the immediate release of Pastor Jin and all detained church leaders. U.S. officials also urged Beijing to allow all people of faith to worship freely without fear of retribution.
The Zion Church, founded in Beijing, is one of China’s largest and most influential unregistered house churches, drawing hundreds of worshippers each week. Since its rise in the early 2010s, it has faced repeated government harassment for refusing to join the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
China has a long record of religious persecution, with house churches frequently raided, pastors detained, and congregations monitored under strict surveillance laws.
The latest detentions mark a new flashpoint in the CCP’s tightening grip on religious expression in China, where house churches continue to operate despite mounting threats and arrests.
