Online registration of ‘official’ Chinese priests, pastors and imams against ‘scammers’

It is active as of today on the website of the State Administration for Religious Affairs. It is presented as a “transparency” tool, but to consult it you have to give your phone number. Accusations of fraud are often used against evangelical “house churches”: also in these days there were three arrests in Sichuan.

Beijing ( / Agencies) – Starting today in the People’s Republic of China, an online registry collects information on all Catholic, Protestant and Muslim clerics “who have been recognized by law”. An operation presented by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) as an “opening” in the management of religious affairs and a service to the faithful to unmask “imposters”. However, as it is a service that can only be accessed by identifying yourself through the telephone number, in reality it will also be another instrument of control over religious activity in China. This, obviously, in addition to discrediting all those priests legitimately ordained in clandestine communities and who, in conscience, opposed registering with the official organizations controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

The registry that works today is the continuation of a similar tool that was introduced on February 22 to verify the identity of Buddhist and Taoist monks. The identity of the clerics can be verified both on the website of the State Administration for Religious Affairs and the website of the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics and similar bodies for the Protestant and Muslim communities. For each religious on whom a search is carried out, a file is opened in which -along with their personal data, religious title and official registration number- a photograph also appears.

Using apps as yet another tool to control religious activity in China is not a remote possibility. It should be remembered that, as reported last March, in Henan, believers of all faiths are already required to register to attend religious services: this applies to churches and mosques as well as Buddhist temples. They must fill out a form available in the “Smart Religion” application, developed by the Provincial Commission for Ethnic and Religious Affairs. To complete it, data such as name, telephone number, identity document, permanent residence, occupation and date of birth are required.

Regarding the prevention of “scams” by “false clerics”, just yesterday the china aid reported the case of three Christian women, Li Bingrong, Xie Lihong and Huang Qiuyan, who were detained on suspicion of “fraud” in the Sichuan city of Suining. All three reportedly worked for a bank and were limited to helping deposit and transfer donations for a Christian organization. The accusation of fraud is one of the faces of the persecution against “house churches”, that is, evangelical communities that are not officially registered. Communist Party officials bring this accusation against many pastors and lay believers in order to limit any activity outside of “official” communities.