China bans religious activities in hospitals in Zhejiang province

Jardine Malado Sunday, August 21, 2016

Religious activities such as praying and preaching are now forbidden in hospitals in Zhejiang province, a region known as China's Jerusalem for having a high number of practicing Christians. Patients and visitors at the Central Hospital in Wenzhou were made aware of the ban through a public notice posted in the main hall.

The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine | Wikimedia Commons/Huandy618

The ban also applies to pastors and ministers holding prayer meetings for the patients at the hospital. Radio Free Asia (RFA) spoke to an unidentified employee over the phone to confirm the new regulations. "Religious activities in hospitals have never been encouraged ... but some people have been doing it on the quiet, which is understandable, seeing that we are all here to support patients," the employee told RFA.

"Some people were really giving it their all, praying aloud and reading out the Bible. That's not allowed," the employee added. According to the source, the notice will be shown to patients who are admitted to the hospital. "If they do that here, then the nurses and doctors will have a word with them," said the employee, referring to religious activities.

Ma Ke, the pastor of Guangfu Church in Guangzhou, told RFA that the ban is against the constitution and it interferes with people's religious beliefs. "I think it's perfectly normal ... people depend psychologically on their religious beliefs to a certain extent," Ma said. "If they are dying, for example, they know that they have nothing to fear," he added

Bob Fu, founder of China Aid, told RFA that the crackdown is not limited to Zhejiang. Other provinces such as Anhui and the northern region of Inner Mongolia are also affected by the government's crusade against religious practice, according to Fu.

The Chinese government banned crosses from church buildings in Zhejiang in 2015, citing construction regulations. According to a BBC report in February 2016, members of the Communist Party are forbidden from believing or practicing a religion. The rules also extend to retired officials. In May, AP reported that the government banned religion from schools after a video of a kindergartener reciting the Quran circulated online.