Independent Senator Aubrey McCarthy yesterday presented a petition calling for an end to the repression of Christians in China and for the release of Chinese pastors. The Chinese Embassy did not admit Senator McCarthy to present the petition in person nor did it respond to the gate intercom so the petition was placed in the Embassy letterbox.
The petition presentation was the culmination of a vigil by supporters outside the Embassy, organised after the Chinese Embassy did not respond to a request (in two letters from Church in Chains) for a meeting to present it. Participants stood outside the Embassy wall holding placards bearing the name, photograph and prison sentence details of 24 of the most prominent Christian prisoners in China.
View gallery of photos from the event
“Our presence here speaks louder than the Embassy’s silence”
Senator McCarthy addressed the participants, saying: “Today I stand in solidarity, not in silence. I am deeply concerned about the brutal reality facing our Christian brothers and sisters in China. The censorship of the Bible, closure of churches, and imprisonment of pastors is not religious policy, it is repression. This vigil outside the Chinese Embassy is not about anger, but about standing together for freedom of belief, conscience, and spirit.
“Ireland will not turn away. As a nation shaped by faith, struggle, and the pursuit of freedom, we cannot close our eyes to this injustice. With over 5,000 people backing our petition, our presence here speaks louder than the Embassy’s silence. To those suffering in China, I say: you are not forgotten. We are with you, and we will keep shining the light, because the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness shall not overcome it.”
David Turner (Director, Church in Chains) told participants, “While we may be relatively few in number here today, we represent many more – over 5,000 people signed the Petition “END THE REPRESSION AND RELEASE CHINESE PASTORS”, calling on the Chinese government to revise all religious regulations to ensure they align with the right of all people in China to freedom of religion and for the release of all Christian prisoners.
He went on to describe the persecution of Christians, which has increased dramatically in recent years in China: “Children are banned from church, Bibles are restricted, as is online access to the Bible, churches have been closed and church leaders have been imprisoned. Churches are being instructed to preach about the virtues of the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping’s philosophy.”
“Freedom of religion is deeply important to a free and fair society”
A statement from Barry Ward TD (pictured), who was unable to attend due to another commitment, was read out: “I welcome and support the commitment of the Church in Chains group in addressing the clear and ongoing repression of Christians and other people of faith in China. Freedom of religion is deeply important to a free and fair society, whatever that religion may be. My engagement on this issue with the Ambassador has shown a clear denial of the reality experienced by Christians every day in China and whether he wishes to admit it or not, this tragic reality remains.
“As a long-time member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, I have a deep awareness of the culture of repression, particularly against any group of people that wishes to go against the specific dictates of the CCP. As a country, we need to call this authoritarian practice out for what it is and I hope to lend my voice in Dáil Éireann to this cause.”
David Turner detailed some of the extensive and intrusive government regulations introduced over the past seven years in China in the name of President Xi Jinping’s “Sinicisation” policy, which has the objective of creating a Chinese version of every religion and making every religion conform and be subservient to the Chinese Communist Party.
The restrictions began in 2018 with a strict ban on under-18’s attending church, a ban on travelling to Christian conferences abroad and a regulation which stated that church leaders must set aside office space in their buildings for Communist Party officials to monitor their services.
Since then, new detailed regulations have been introduced to cover how religious organisations are run (2020), the registration of all clergy on a national database (2021), the criminalisation of posting any religious material online without obtaining a government licence (2022), the administration of finances (2022) and the content of religious services (2023), including the content of sermons and teachings which should reflect core socialist values. The effect of each round of regulations has been to further stifle religious freedom and to ensure that all religious activity comes under total control of the Chinese Communist Party.
David Franklin (Chair, Church in Chains) prayed for Christians in China living under these restrictions and later a time of silent prayer was held in which participants were encouraged to pray for the prisoner pictured on the placard they were holding.
Image Credit: Barry Ward (Houses of the Oireachtas)