Curt Weldon, November 20, 2003

Continuing their tradition of prosecuting people of faith, the Chinese government recently arrested twelve Catholic priests and seminarians and bulldozed an unauthorized church during a crackdown ignited by fear of religious revival.

Religious gatherings are generally banned in China if they fail to fall in the confines of Chinese regulations. For example, the Chinese government severed ties with the Vatican in the 1950’s and proceeded to establish its own Catholic Church whose loyalty lies with Beijing instead of the Vatican.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, generally portrayed as a reformer, has given no indication that their firm control over religious practices will not change. I support working with China, and I recognize the fact that change will not occur overnight; however, I would remind China that countries that suppress religion, usually don’t fare well in the long-run.

Religious verve will always win over extremist atheist governments, and the United States must continue to speak out against their counter productive practices. The quicker China does this, the quicker America will move forward to fully engaging China.

Congressman Curt Weldon, a Republican, represents the Seventh Congressional District of Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives.