Radio Free Asia reported that the State Administration of Religious Affairs recently organized a trip called, “Love the Party Patriotism-Red Patriotic Journey.” It was held in the Jinggang Mountains in Jiangxi Province and the representatives of five religions, including dozens of pastors who the Roman Catholic Church recognized, participated. The report stated that the trip was organized for these representatives so they could “study and exchange understandings of Xi Jinping Thought as well as socialist core values.” The photos posted online showed a group picture of the representatives. Some of them were wearing red army uniforms and holding a banner that had the word, “patriotism” on it. The official website of the National Religious Bureau did not disclose relevant information about this trip. The article quoted the comments that several religious figures living overseas made. One person commented that participating in a trip like this is a disgrace to religion. Another comment said that the activity clearly shows that Xi Jinping suppresses religion on the one hand while conducting united front and reorganization activity on the other hand. While many churches in China face suppression, the three-Self Patriotic church organizes large scale activities to study socialist core values. According to the article, during their weekend service, some churches even include the study of Xi Jinping Thought and Patriotism as part of the agenda.
Source: Radio Free Asia, May 24, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/clergy-05242018084416.html