This is the last in a three-part series examining the role of the Roman Catholic Church in China and how the difficult and complex relationship between the Vatican and Beijing has shifted and evolved since the Communist Party broke diplomatic ties in 1951. This instalment looks at how Catholics continue to be persecuted despite a landmark deal being signed between the Vatican and Beijing in 2018.

If James Su Zhimin is still alive, he would have turned 88. While he has not been seen for 17 years, Su is still listed by the Holy See, the worldwide govern-ment of the Catholic Church, as the Bishop of Baoding in China’s Hebei province.

Between 1956 – five years after the Vatican and Beijing  broke off diplomatic relations – and 1997, Su was arrested at least eight times, spending more than 30 years in prisons and labour reform facilities for refusing to switch allegiance from the Pope to China’s state-sanctioned Catholic Church.

He was last seen in 2003, when he was in hospital. Since then, no one has had any news about him and the authorities have been silent about his whereabouts and status. Many fear he might already be dead. Hopes rose that the Chinese government might be more willing to share information about so-called underground bishops like Su.

Sri Lankan authorities on July 22 announced that birth certificates for new born children in future will not mention their parents’ race, religion or the marital status. Registrar General of the Registrar General’s Department, N.C. Vithanage told local media that all details pertaining to marriage, ethnic group and religion will be removed from the application form for the registration of a birth in Sri Lanka although this was mandatory earlier.

Local media reports said that the decision was taken after many children in the country were reportedly facing issues due to the details of the marriage of parents, especially when enrolling a child in school. Under the new system, a 12-digit serial number is to be issued for all new birth certificates and this number can be used to obtain a national identity card when a child completes 15 years of age, Vithanage said.

If current trends are not reversed, the South Korean popu-lation will be halved in 80 years. At the same time, the “Asian tiger” will see its GDP drop to 20th place, this according to a study by the prestigious medical journal Lancet.

The birth rate is hot issue in the Asian country, beset by wage discrimination against women and an unfettered capitalism that leads young couples not to have children in order not to have career problems.

At present, the total popula-tion is around 53 million. It should peak in 2031 at 54.29 million, before plunging to 26.78 million by 2100. At the same time, the economy is likely to take huge steps backwards.

According to Lancet, fewer people “might reduce innovation in economies and fewer workers in general might reduce domestic markets for consumer goods, because many retirees are less likely to purchase consumer durables than middle-aged and young adults.”

Experts estimate that high-income countries with low fertility rates will be forced to adopt more liberal immigration policies and prepare their socie-ties to assimilate newcomers. Otherwise, they can expect economic, fiscal and geopolitical collapse.

In continuation with its religious repression, Chinese authorities have reportedly ordered Christians to renounce their faith and replace the crosses, images of Jesus in churches with portraits of Chairman Mao and President Xi Jinping or risk losing welfare benefits. According to a report published in Daily Mail, a concerted attempt is being made by the Chinese officials to suppress the manifestation of religion in the country. In what appears to be state-sanctioned persecution against the Christian minorities, Chinese officials have recently demolished religious symbols by force in churches in multiple provinces, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei and Zhejiang.

The report claims that when the Chinese officials arrived at the location to dismantle the cross, they faced stiff resistance from dozens of believers, who had gathered to stop the authorities from knocking down the cross.

“I saw my son bleed, bruis-ed, unconscious. I shouted his name, splashed water on his face and gently slapped him to wake him up, but he no longer moved,” said Ghafoor Masih, a Christian, father of Saleem Masih, who was beaten to death in Baguyana village on 25 February.

The 24-year-old was punished for bathing in a tube-well pool used by Muslims. His father spoke about the incident that led to his son’s death in an interview with the British Pakistani Christian Association, a non-profit organisation.

Pakistan broke away from India for the sake of religious freedom, but it is now the home of many Ghafoor Masihs, who seek justice for their loved ones; all religious minorities are discriminated against in the country, not only Christians.

Why are minorities in Pakistan the victims of repression? Was the country founded only for Muslims? Of course not. Its founder, Quaid-e-Azam (Great Leader) Muha-mmad Ali Jinnah paid great attention to religious freedom.

“You are free;” Jinnah said, “you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

For not following Jinnah’s words, Pakistan has become the 7th most dangerous place in the world for religious minorities, according to Human Rights Watch.

The problem goes way back. Discrimination began in 1949, right after the Constituent Assembly approved the Objectives, Resolution whereby all laws must conform with Islamic precepts.

A few days ago, we received a letter from His Eminence, Charles Cardinal Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. It was an ardent request for prayers for Hong kong, on account of the signing into law of a new National Security Act. He explained in his letter how this new law poses a threat to the basic freedoms and human rights of the people of Hong kong, and how it potentially undermines especially their freedom of expression.

Apparently, the Chinese government assures the people of Hong kong that they have nothing to be afraid of, as long as “they don’t get involved in any activity that threatens national security.” Why does this sound eerily familiar to us Filipinos? Because we are in a similar situation. And so, while we responded with an assurance to His Eminence, Cardinal Bo, that we would join him in praying for the people of Hong kong, we also asked him to pray for the Philippines and explained why we are as seriously in need of prayers as the people of Hong kong. Like them, we are also alarmed about the recent signing into law of the Anti-Terror Act of 2020.

We are still in disbelief about the manner in which the contentious Anti-Terror Bill was fast-tracked and approved in both Houses of Congress while the whole country’s attention was focused on the Covid-19 pandemic. They did not even seem to care that many of the people they represent were against it—lawyers’ associations, the academe, the business sector, labour groups, youth organizations, NGO’s, political movements, faith-based communities, and even the Bangsamoro government.

The dissenting voices were strong but they remained unheeded. None of the serious concerns that they expressed about this legislative measure seemed to be of any consequence to them.