The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-approved Church in China, has criticized rumors that church gatherings were the source of the Covid-19 revolution in some northern cities.
January 11, 2021
HONG KONG: The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-approved Church in China, has criticized rumors that church gatherings were a source of the Covid-19 revolution in some northern cities.
“The spread of the rumors has seriously violated the legal rights and interests of the priests of the Catholic Church and weakened the harmony and stability of the society,” said a statement by the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) of Gaocheng district in Shijiazhuang city. the Hebei province.
The statement made on Jan. 7 said that recent posts on social media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo had blamed gatherings of loyal Catholic and foreign priests as the cause of the virus spread among several cities in Gaocheng.
The rumors claimed that 20 European and American priests returned 20 days ago to participate in religious activity but did not take precautionary measures, the statement noted.
“It is now almost impossible for European and American priests to come to China. Even if possible, all immigrants must be quarantined in designated hotels for 14 days, ”and must be certified“ double negative ”(antibody and nuclear acid test) to enter the country, he said.
“In order to protect our legitimate rights and interests, we have reported to the police the rumors of epilepsy and reserve the right to pursue the legal responsibility for the rumors,” the statement said.
Authorities seized Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, on Jan. 6 after the disease spread rapidly in the city of 11 million people. The city had registered 310 cases as Jan. 7.
To investigate evasion, authorities have banned people from leaving the city and have stopped closing major roads, closing railway and bus stations and canceling all flights. .
The Gaocheng region completed a nuclear acid test on Jan. 8 and 259 positive patients were detected.
The local CPA statement said there are no prayer centers run by Catholics in small towns including Xiaoguozhuang, Liujiazuo and Nanqiaozhai mentioned in the social media posts.
Hebei is considered the Catholic heartland of China because there are about 1.5 million Catholics, about a quarter of the total in China. Most belong to the underground Catholic community, and the state-controlled open church is also active.
Authorities have already closed some 155 official religious centers in Beijing as coronavirus infection spread in nearby Hebei province.
Religious activity was banned across the country last year to prevent the pandemic, and religious institutions have not reopened to the public in recent months.–ucanews.com