{"id":2591772,"date":"2026-04-16T20:37:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T00:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alert-china-moving-against-underground-christians-forcibly-disappearing-and-more\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T20:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T00:45:08","slug":"alert-china-moving-against-underground-christians-forcibly-disappearing-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alert-china-moving-against-underground-christians-forcibly-disappearing-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Alert: China Moving Against Underground Christians &#8211; &#8216;Forcibly Disappearing&#8217; and More"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Falert-china-moving-against-underground-christians-forcibly-disappearing-and-more%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2591772&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An HRW report released on April 15, 2026, documents escalating pressure by Chinese authorities on underground Catholic communities to join the state-run church, accompanied by intensified surveillance and travel restrictions for Catholics nationwide. The report frames this as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/make-twitter-show-their-work-how-elon-musk-can-ensure-twitter-protects-free-speech\/\" title=\"\u2018Make Twitter Show Their Work\u2019: How Elon Musk Can Ensure Twitter Protects Free Speech\">decade-long campaign<\/a> to ensure all religious groups are loyal to the officially atheist Communist Party, a claim the government rejects as biased.<\/p>\n<p>Key points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Chinese Catholics are divided between the official,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/finlands-supreme-court-convicts-christians-of-hate-speech-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/\" title=\"Finland Convicts Christian For Saying Men, Women Are Different\">state-controlled church<\/a> (which does not recognize papal authority) and underground congregations loyal to Rome.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The 2018 Vatican-China agreement, which allowed the state church a voice in bishop appointments with papal veto power, is described as not preventing ongoing repression; HRW calls for the Vatican to review the deal and for beijing to end persecution of underground churches, clergy, and worshippers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; HRW cites escalating measures such as detentions,house arrests,and restrictions on religious activities,including foreign travel for clergy,as part of the broader Sinicization campaign launched in 2016 to align religion with Communist Party ideology.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The crackdown extends beyond Catholicism to other faiths, with reports of church demolitions, removal of crosses, restrictions on Bible access, and the targeting of Tibetan Buddhism and Islam.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Specific cases highlighted include the detention of Ezra Jin Mingri, a pastor of the Zion Church in Guangxi, along with other underground church leaders.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Chinese government contends it protects citizens\u2019 freedom of religious belief and oversees religious affairs under the law, while HRW notes it <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >restricts unofficial religious life<\/a> and foreign ties.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Chinese authorities are increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled official church while tightening surveillance and travel restrictions on all of China&rsquo;s estimated 12 million Catholics, a rights group said Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2026\/04\/15\/china-pressure-on-catholics-escalates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The detailed report<\/a> from Human Rights Watch said the heightened pressure was part of a decade-old campaign to ensure that religious denominations and independent churches are loyal to the officially atheist Communist Party, a claim the Chinese government rejected, saying the group is &ldquo;consistently biased against China.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>China&rsquo;s Catholics have been divided between an official, state-controlled church that doesn&rsquo;t recognize papal authority and an underground church that has remained loyal to Rome through decades of persecution.<\/p>\n<p>Pope Francis, in 2018, sought to ease Vatican-China tensions with <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-vatican-agreement-b9cd669a0a91ad3da8fc70fe41611bdb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a deal<\/a> giving the state-controlled church a say in naming bishops &mdash; a task traditionally exclusive to the pope.<\/p>\n<p>Despite that deal, &ldquo;Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms,&rdquo; said Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch. &ldquo;Pope Leo XIV should urgently review the agreement and press Beijing to end the persecution and intimidation of underground churches, clergy, and worshippers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, didn&rsquo;t immediately respond Wednesday when asked to comment on the report.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement sent to The Associated Press, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson&rsquo;s Office said Human Rights Watch &ldquo;fabricates all manner of lies and rumors, and lacks any credibility whatsoever.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It added that the government &ldquo;oversees religious affairs in accordance with the law and protects citizens&rsquo; freedom of religious belief and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hong-kong-needs-our-help-to-preserve-religious-freedom-not-just-on-paper-but-in-practice\/\" title=\"Hong Kong Needs Our Help To Preserve Religious Freedom Not Just On Paper, But In Practice\">normal religious activities<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Human Rights Watch said its researchers are not allowed into China. It said its report is based on input from people outside China &ldquo;who had firsthand knowledge of Catholic life in China,&rdquo; as well as experts on religious freedom and Catholicism in China.<\/p>\n<p>Under the 2018 agreement, Beijing proposes candidates for bishop that the pope can then veto, though the agreement&rsquo;s full text has never been made public.<\/p>\n<p>Last June, a month after becoming pope, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/vatican-china-bishop-pope-552ba1789e9770f2a1ee66b1e903b87c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leo made his first appointment<\/a> of a Chinese bishop under the agreement. And in a subsequent interview, Leo specified that he would continue with the agreement &ldquo;in the short term.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m also in ongoing dialogue with a number of people, Chinese, on both sides of some of the issues that are there,&rdquo; Leo said. &ldquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/vatican-pope-leo-china-390c31434783eb8ff06c14547ab0f08b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">It&rsquo;s a very difficult situation<\/a>. In the long term, I don&rsquo;t pretend to say this is what I will and will not do, but after two months, I&rsquo;ve already begun having discussions at several levels on that topic.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Since 2018, according to Human Rights Watch, Chinese authorities have pressured <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-china-clamps-down-ap-top-news-international-news-asia-pacific-a2e4a0436fba4146a156daef77885945\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">underground Catholic communities<\/a> to join the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association &ldquo;by arbitrarily detaining, forcibly disappearing &hellip; and subjecting underground Catholic bishops and priests to house arrest.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The report described some of those actions, attributed to people who had left China and who were not named in the report.<\/p>\n<p>The government has also intensified ideological control, surveillance, restrictions on religious activities, and foreign ties in official churches, according to Human Rights Watch. It said that regulations adopted in December subject foreign travel by Catholic clergy to state approval.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese government officially recognizes five religions &mdash; Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam &mdash; and tightly supervises them.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, President Xi Jinping said <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/c09b2ee4b71540c8a7fd6178820c5970\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he would &ldquo;Sinicize&rdquo; the country&rsquo;s religions<\/a> &mdash; increasing oversight and ideological control in a bid to align religious practice with the Communist Party&rsquo;s ideology and leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Human Rights Watch asserted, the authorities have demolished hundreds of church buildings or the crosses atop them, prevented adherents from gathering in unofficial churches, restricted access to the Bible, and confiscated religious materials not authorized by the government.<\/p>\n<p>The Sinicization campaign has also meant severe repression of Tibetan Buddhism and Islam<a href=\"https:\/\/u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net\/ls\/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC8EwWeAARqLITB8QVcZEkrrtUGV9FryJsv7JjNbVvDHH9kC-2FEfiTM7L4xhtwYzBDBavMuBaq-2BlXdaQG0JsSpwt6h3UWD9Fxvb-2BO1CbV782WzHTnI_wDJSp3Vz-2FNSwMqFg-2Fp6kjngIjO83qDru7uM1bGPj7Ucj1PpBZ9iymwr-2BFTdpQPqSlSl4Qlijic5bk-2FiPg-2BOnUqlodWL8pAL7rMo-2FNyDw7QslKwknFb1W0azyrkBqPgreqwolQBaf7EtlnXmDTo2XMQLrOoNAOEfsHvZ6Ke-2B6jgohWWv2H2nTXMdC9I8jGCkHmJfwlqELwWzPf5YugzFb5wC5r4UHz4j1u5xE1utvExMAWM2mM7-2FhKMg3xLfEJc5RMCSzyiT-2Fci1jO0CrLXQlrCIStEeiKIaqzjc4dkjDSl1C1bqAgq6xanjcFgAs2tlqG8QI0td8U8KOYjZ-2BAU-2FOCw-3D-3D\">,<\/a> Human Rights Watch said.<\/p>\n<p>In October, a pastor of a prominent underground Christian church was detained, according to his daughter, a church pastor, and a group that monitors religion in China.<\/p>\n<p>They said <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-church-crackdown-christianity-pastor-c9c1538bea51ad72759ba5ab8b46af01\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri<\/a> of the Zion Church was detained at his home in Guangxi province, along with dozens of other church leaders across China.<\/p>\n<p>Zion Church is among the largest so-called underground or house churches that are unregistered with the Chinese authorities. They defy government restrictions requiring believers to worship only in registered congregations.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, ChinaAid &mdash; a U.S.-based group advocating for religious freedom in China &mdash; urged President Donald Trump to demand Mingri&rsquo;s release ahead of <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-delays-china-trip-iran-3ef73e58116cc0d89aab39ed15219bf6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his planned meeting with Xi<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Chinese Communist Party has escalated its systematic campaign to eradicate independent religious life,&rdquo; said Bob Fu, ChinaAid&rsquo;s president. &ldquo;The United States must respond with consequences &mdash; not just concern.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>Human Rights Watch says Chinese authorities are tightening pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled church, while also increasing surveillance and travel restrictions for all of China\u2019s roughly 12 million Catholics. The report frames this as part of a decade-long effort to compel religious groups to show loyalty to the Communist Party, despite Beijing\u2019s insistence that it protects religious freedom. Chinese Catholics are split between the official Patriotic Catholic Association and underground churches loyal to Rome. In 2018, Pope Francis and Beijing reached a deal giving the state church a say in bishop appointments, with papal veto retained. HRW argues that repression has continued and urges the Vatican to reassess the agreement and press Beijing to end persecution of underground clergy and worshippers.<\/p>\n<p>Vatican and Chinese government responses were mixed or guarded. The Vatican spokesman did not immediately comment; a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed HRW\u2019s findings as lies and said the state oversees religious affairs in accordance with the law. HRW notes it cannot access China directly and bases its conclusions on testimonies from people outside China and experts on religious freedom and Catholicism in China. Since 2018, authorities have pressured underground Catholics to join the Patriotic Association through detentions, disappearances, and house arrests, while official churches face tighter ideological control, surveillance, restrictions on religious activities, and scrutiny of foreign ties. Regulations announced in December require state approval for foreign travel by Catholic clergy. The broader Sinicization campaign aims to align religion with Communist Party ideology, leading to the demolition of churches and crosses, limits on Bible access, and crackdowns on Tibetan Buddhism and Islam as well. In October, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri of Zion Church was reportedly detained in Guangxi along with other church leaders; Zion Church is among the largest underground churches. ChinaAid urged President Trump to press for Mingri\u2019s release before a planned Xi meeting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2591773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1eef3d482ea547b4b96d8a54dfc58d2b-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4501,77943,77942],"class_list":["post-2591772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-china","tag-religious-persecution-2","tag-underground-christians"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1eef3d482ea547b4b96d8a54dfc58d2b-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2591772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2591781,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591772\/revisions\/2591781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2591773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2591772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2591772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2591772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}