Exiled Chinese Pastor Has Guarded Hopes

The Rev. Bob Fu of the Chinese Aid Association says in the Ecumenical News International that while the relative freedom that Chinese Christians might experience the year of the Beijing Olympics could be short-lived, he has high hopes for the future.

Concerning religious harrassment in China in 2008, Fu noted, “It may decrease a little, in terms of cases of persecution, given the Olympic diplomacy and image-making gestures.” These efforts had trigged in him a desire that the statements about religious freedom of the Chinese leadership would be translated into genuine policy instead of being temporary diplomatic manoeuvres.

“I am very hopeful and optimistic for the future of the Christian faith in China. And I think eventually in the next two decades or so, China will become a world Christian hub for the 21st century,” Fu told ENI.