PROTESTANT LEADER CALLS FOR INTENSIFIED HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOG WITH CHINA
German Bishop: Economic Liberty and State Socialism Will Coexist For a Long Time
By Wolfgang Polzer
Special to ASSIST News Service
WETZLAR (ANS) -- The highest-ranking representative of the Protestant Churches in Germany has called for an intensified human rights dialog with China. Talks should not only focus on economic liberties, emphasized Bishop Wolfgang Huber, Berlin, in an interview with the evangelical news agency idea in Wetzlar, Germany.
Rather, the dialog with the Communist regime should include fundamental rights of the individual such as religious liberty, said Huber, who has just returned from a visit to China in October. He represents 26 million members of Protestant main line churches in Germany.
In Huber's view it is unrealistic to assume that economic liberalization in China will automatically be followed by an improvement in the human rights situation. "Unfortunately I can well imagine that a very capitalist economy and an authoritarian state socialism will continue to coexist for rather a long time," said Huber.
In his opinion religious liberty is still restricted in China. The bishop finds it unacceptable that Bibles are only available at special distribution points and not in bookstores. He also finds it hard to understand why churches are not allowed to baptize people below age 18.
Huber was very impressed with worship services in China. When he asked church leaders about membership figures, they gave him the number of worshippers. A church that assumes that each member worships "is a lucky church indeed", said Huber. In Germany, only four per cent of the Protestant church members worship on an average Sunday.
The bishop also paid high respect to the Chinese Christians and churches for their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Huber: "It was a church without bibles, buildings and even without songs - because singing Christians would have been detected." It is a miracle, the bishop said, that the church not only survived but that it is thriving today.
The state registered Protestant churches have 15 million members, according to official figures. Estimates including the non-registered house churches reach figures of around 80 million.
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