China Denies Released Pastor Passport To Travel To Wife In US
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BEIJING (Worthy News) – Nearly half a year after his release from prison, Chinese Pastor John Cao has still not received identity documents and a passport that would enable him to live normally in China or visit his wife in the United States, Worthy News learned Monday.
“Despite his release from custody, the Christian leader is not truly free, as the authorities are refusing to give him an ID card and passport,” said Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), the advocacy group closely following his case.
An ID card is required for most transactions in Communist-run China – whether it involves travel or a doctor’s appointment. “You can be arrested if the police ask you for an ID card,” added Todd Nettleton, representing Voice Of the Martyrs USA, VOMC’s affiliate.
A photo obtained by Worthy News showed the pastor holding a sign saying: “I am a Chinese citizen, and I love my country, but I don’t have an ID card.”
The apparent refusal by Beijing to provide him with identity papers came as another setback for the devoted Christian, who was released on March 4 after serving seven years on charges that his supporters link to his work as a Christian missionary in neighboring Myanmar, also known as Burma.
“Originally from Hunan province, Pastor John Cao is a permanent resident of the United States and also happens to be married to an American citizen,” VOMC confirmed.
IMPOVERISHED PEOPLE
“Before his arrest, he served as a missionary in Myanmar’s Wa State, building schools and caring for impoverished people in the region. As part of his ministry work, Pastor John frequently crossed the border between China and Myanmar.”
The Christian leader was able to continue his activities for three years till March 2017, when he was detained on charges of “illegal border crossings.”
While his colleague, Jing Ruxia, served one year in prison, Pastor John was sentenced to seven years, which he served after losing several appeals, Worthy News established.
Although behind bars, he expressed his faith in Christ in poetry. Advocacy group ChinaAid published a collection of his poems titled ‘Living Lyrics: Poems from Prison.’
Upon his release, Pastor John was escorted from Yunnan province to Changsha, Hunan, as he “hopes to be soon reunited with his family in the United States.”
Yet, he cannot travel to the U.S., where he resides, without travel documents.
PRAYERS URGED
However, local police in Changsha have disclosed that they intend to supervise and “educate” him for five years, according to Christians who are familiar with the case.
VOMC told Worthy News it had urged its supporters to “Pray that God will work mightily within the hearts of governing officials, allowing Pastor Cao to receive the necessary documentation so he can be reunited with his wife in the United States.”
Yet in a recent audio message monitored by Worthy News, the pastor says, “I have been separated from you all for seven years, but these seven years have been filled with joy, filled with God’s grace, and God’s special presence has been with me every day.”
Yet his difficulties highlighted broader concerns about the plight of devoted Christians in China.
Under President Xi Jinping, numerous believers have been jailed, and several churches closed as he seeks to consolidate his power without groups deemed a threat to his leadership, including Christians, observers say.
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