While many expected that the agreement between the Vatican and China would cause a conservative schism in Chinese Catholicism, in fact the first signs of a possible schism are appearing among the pro-government Patriotic Association.
Massimo Introvigne
China’s Religious Liberty Violations Denounced at the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review
Every five years, all countries should submit to a review of their human rights record by the United Nations. China’s review is November 6, next and the first report highlights its egregious violations of religious liberty.
Should We Use the G Word? Chinese Persecution and Genocide
International scholars start asking the question whether what China is doing to the Uyghurs, members of Falun Gong, and other groups, should be properly qualified as genocide
New Law “Legalizes” Re-Education Camps in Xinjiang
China had long denied that “transformation through education” camps for Muslims exist in Xinjiang. Now it announces that all is well, since a new law made them legal.
Fake News that “The Church of Almighty God Is Anti-Family” Debunked by Italian Courts
Two Italian court decisions quote scholarly studies to reject the fake news depicting The Church of Almighty God as “against the family”
A Persecuted Group: The Full Scope /All Sphere/Word of Life Church (Born Again Movement)
Refugees start to arrive in Europe after a nationwide crackdown on yet another banned Christian group, founded in Henan by Xu Yongze
Mother of Canadian Citizen Sentenced in China for Practicing Falun Gong
Demonstrations in Canada support Chen Huixia, who has been sentenced under Art. 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code for “using a xie jiao”.
The African Inquisition: How CCP Censors News About Religious Persecution Abroad
An article in Foreign Policy lifts the veil on how China uses his economic influence to prevent foreign media from reporting about religious persecution.
Pope Francis: “I Will Nominate the Bishops for China”
Talking with journalists, the Pope claimed he was personally responsible for the agreement with China and that he will have the last word in the choice of bishops.
“But Is It Really A Religion?”
How China and other totalitarian regimes persecute religious minorities by claiming they are not “real” religions. The paper by Massimo Introvigne in the side event “Myth/Reality? Freedom of Belief, No Discrimination and Tolerance in the OSCE Area,” at the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw, September 13, 2018.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press' Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.