AP

CHINA’S NATIONWIDE CRACKDOWN ON CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
Zion Church is China’s largest independent Protestant house church network. While Zion Church was originally founded in Beijing, its hybrid online-offline network expanded to over 40 Chinese cities, drawing intense state scrutiny. China’s nationwide crackdown on Christian Churches has intersected directly with Wenzhou, long nicknamed the “Jerusalem of China” due to its large Christian population, and where Zion Church could be considered to have its headquarters.
Zion Church became a primary target after refusing to install 23 facial recognition cameras inside its sanctuary.  When its building was confiscated in October 2025, it transitioned to smaller offline meeting points and a massive digital congregation of over 10,000 daily participants. The confiscation of the building was followed by the detention of Zion Church’s founder, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri (Pastor Ezra Jyn), along with nearly 30 other senior pastors and church leaders. The arrested leaders face vague charges of “illegally using information networks”. This directly targets their use of Zoom and encrypted apps for online sermons and Bible studies.
When Christians in China are arrested, their families typically lose their income and are locked out of their homes and bank accounts. This has been true for the families of the pastors and workers from Zion Church. Additionally, one school that was founded by Zion Church was shut down following the arrests and destruction of their Church, resulting in students not having a school to attend and the teachers losing their income.
While the Zion Church network has been hit nationwide, Wenzhou itself is experiencing a parallel and highly severe wave of persecution – driven by a state policy of “Sinicization”, which demands that all religious organizations place absolute allegiance to the Communist Party above their faith. Tensions in Wenzhou escalated sharply following local Christian resistance against government mandates to install the Chinese national flag inside sanctuaries. Authorities targeted Yayáng Church. Following a five-day police operation where roughly 100 members were arrested, heavy machinery was brought in to completely demolish the church building. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, condemned the crackdown and called for the release of the church leaders. He called on the Chinese government to “allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution”.
Though the pastors and workers from Zion Church remain incarcerated, the work of Zion Church continues. Prayer is urgently requested for the detained leaders and workers, their families and congregations, and for all Christian workers who continue with the vision of Zion Church and are messengers of the Gospel inside of communist China, despite extreme persecution and hardship. [Source: Back to Jerusalem, The Guardian and other sources]

EGYPT – GOVERNMENT APPROVES LICENCES FOR 191 MORE CHURCHES
Give thanks that the Egyptian government has approved licences for another 191 churches and church-affiliated buildings. The licensing committee, headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, announced the approval for the 30th batch of applications on 16 April. It brings the number of registrations approved to 3,804 out of a new total of 5,415 applications. To secure governmental approval, churches must prove ownership of land and meet structural and safety standards.
It was extremely difficult for churches to obtain registration in Egypt before 2017, when the licensing committee began work. In 2018, the government allowed Christians to worship in unlicensed buildings pending the completion of the registration process. In some areas, however, congregations risk having their churches sealed or demolished by local authorities under the pretext of lacking permits, even when they have applied. Tens of thousands of churches are still without legal recognition. Small house churches, especially those attended by converts from Islam, often operate in secret, vulnerable to raids and community backlash.
Praise the Lord for this latest batch of approvals and pray that the committee will complete its expanded workload swiftly. Pray that the licensing process will lead to the reduction of hostility towards Christians from extremists among the Muslim-majority population, especially in rural areas. Pray that these newly approved buildings will be used to unite and strengthen Christian communities, and to draw enquirers to the faith (Psalm 133:1). [Source: Barnabas Aid]

BUT THE PERSECUTION CONTINUES: CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST CONDEMNED TO FIVE YEARS’ HARD LABOUR
EGYPT: A YouTuber with 100,000 subscribers, Dr Augustinos Samaan now faces five years’ hard labour after Egyptian courts convicted him of blasphemy in a secret trial, for criticising Islam. He was convicted under Article 98(f) of the 2006 Amended  Egyptian Penal Code, which has been described as a controversial blasphemy law that criminalizes using religion to promote extremist ideologies. It is frequently utilized by the Egyptian government to suppress freedom of expression, target religious minorities, prosecute dissenting views and is used as a weapon against Christians. This leads to double standards and a two-tier justice system that disproportionately targets Christians by wrongly convicting them for “inciting terrorism”, while “death to infidels” Islamists get off scot-free.
Coptic Solidarity is an international civil rights organization working towards equal citizenship rights for the indigenous Coptic Christians of Egypt, and have worked to bring about justice for Samaan. Coptic Solidarity’s case file said Samaan’s sentencing followed a “secret criminal trial”. This was, they added, “conducted without notification to his lawyers or family, without public proceedings, and without granting the defence access to the case file or a meaningful opportunity to present arguments. When his family and attorneys arrived at court on January 6 expecting a detention-renewal hearing, they learned for the first time that he had already been tried and sentenced in their absence.” He was tried without proper representation or consideration for due process in December. Yet both are supposed to be attributes of Egypt’s constitution. Samaan’s conviction and detention show just how much the Egyptian constitution is subordinate (if not subject) to Sharia law. Coptic Solidarity has condemned the decision and is petitioning for his immediate release. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

RADIO IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Broadcasting the gospel by radio is very fruitful in the majority-Buddhist countries of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Reports indicate that the number of people coming to Christ is increasing and believers are being taught and strengthened in their faith. There are also unreached minority groups that need to be reached in their own languages. [Source: FEBC]

SRI LANKA’S TUTORING PROGRAM
Parents in parts of Sri Lanka are increasingly being drawn to a Christian after-school tutoring program, run by volunteers who specialise in mathematics and English. The program also contains gospel content. Although many parents were initially cautious, thinking the program was simply trying to convert their children, over time they have grown to value the work and open their minds to hear about the love of God.
Not everyone, however, wants to hear the Good News. The resistance is led mainly by Buddhist monks, who are well known for their overt opposition to all things Christian.  Attacks typically involve verbal abuse, threats against pastors, or demands that churches be closed. [Source: Mission Network News]

SWISS AND UKRAINIANS
The Swiss Evangelical Alliance reports that churches across Switzerland are playing a key role in hosting refugees from Ukraine. A network of about a hundred churches has supported more than a thousand Ukrainian refugees, first by providing private accommodation and then by finding more permanent housing.
Refugees who stay with host families are better able to navigate daily life and show positive trends in social, linguistic and cultural integration. All this leads towards more independent living. Swiss Churches and Christian organisations have also delivered around 100 truckloads (more than 700 tonnes) of humanitarian aid into Ukraine.   [Source: Christian Daily International]

STOP DISREGARDING OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS OF KIDNAPPED CHRISTIAN GIRLS
A Christian lawmaker in Pakistan filed a motion in the Punjab Assembly seeking an explanation from the provincial government as to why courts were not consistently accepting official age records in cases of abducted and forcibly converted/married girls. Ejaz Alam Augustine, a former provincial minister for human rights and minority affairs, questioned the judiciary’s disregarding of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) birth record as conclusive evidence, warning that the practice increases exploitation of minors. His motion follows a controversial Feb. 3 ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) of Pakistan, which upheld the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl, Maria Shahbaz, to Shehryar Ahmad, a 30-year-old Muslim man whom her family has accused of abducting her. In its detailed judgment issued on March 25, a two-judge bench questioned the reliability of NADRA and local union council records, citing delayed registration, inconsistencies in documentation and contradictions in statements regarding the girl’s age. The court held that such records, without satisfactory explanation or independent corroboration, could not be treated as conclusive proof.

In his motion, Augustine argued that minority communities, particularly Christians, face significant challenges in such cases, as they rely on NADRA-issued documents as primary proof of identity and age. He called on the government to clarify why child registration certificates and family registration certificates are not granted full legal standing in court, what policy measures are being taken to address the issue and how minority communities are being protected. Augustine said the court’s ruling had caused “deep anguish and unrest” within the Christian community, and that “This issue constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights of minority citizens. Courts in Punjab are continuing to disregard official birth documents, which has become a barrier to restoring custody of abducted girls to their parents. If courts rely instead on statements about age – often made under duress – it undermines the purpose of official records.” He further claimed that multiple cases involving the alleged abduction and forced conversion or marriage of minority-aged Christian girls had been reported across Punjab since the FCC ruling. [Source: The Daily Declaration]

NIGERIAN COURT CONVICTS 400 ON TERRORISM CHARGES
A Nigerian federal court this month convicted nearly 400 individuals on terrorism charges, handing down judgments in one of the country’s most significant legal actions in recent memory. The high court found people linked to Boko Haram, Islamic State and other Islamist groups guilty, and those convicted were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years to life behind bars. Persecution watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) says this ranks among the largest criminal crackdowns in the nation’s history.
ICC told Baptist Press that none of the convicted appeared to face murder charges, even though the convictions followed the murder of an estimated 157 Christians since Palm Sunday. Nigerian government officials have long denied that the killings are religiously motivated, but ICC insists the government must acknowledge the religious dimension of the violence if genuine justice is to take place. Authorities need to be willing to confront and address the deep religious tensions fueling unrest across the country. Open Doors reports that Nigeria remains the deadliest country for Christians targeted for their faith, with 3,490 Christians killed there in 2025. [Source: Baptist Press]

THE FRUITS OF A MISSIONARY’S DECADES OF BIBLE TRANSLATION
PARAGUAY: A missionary’s decades of Bible translation have helped bring the Bible to indigenous communities in Paraguay. Tim Curtis, with the Church Mission Society (CMS), is retiring after 44 years of ministry and translation to the remote region Chaco and other indigenous peoples.
Christian Today reports Mr Curtis has played a central role in making Scripture available in Southern Énxet, both in written and audio form. He is leaving what CMS describes as a lasting spiritual and cultural legacy. Working alongside three indigenous translators in the early 1990s, as well as the United Bible Societies and the Paraguayan Bible Society, Mr Curtis helped oversee the production of the Southern Énxet New Testament, which was published in 1997. Nearly two decades later, the full Southern Énxet Bible was published in 2016. Mr Curtis is continuing as a part-time consultant with the Bible translation teams. [Source: Christian Today]

PÄIVI RÄSÄNEN TO APPEAL CONVICTION TO EUROPEAN RIGHTS COURT
Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen has said she will appeal her criminal conviction to the European Court of Human Rights after being found guilty by Finland’s Supreme Court over a 20-year-old church booklet discussing her views on marriage and sexuality. Räsänen, a former interior minister, was convicted in March 2026 of “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group” in relation to a 2004 publication produced for her Lutheran church. Bishop Juhana Pohjola and the Luther Foundation Finland were also convicted for publishing the booklet.
The case was brought under Finland’s 2011 “hate speech” legislation, which criminalizes “agitation against a minority group” under provisions of the criminal code categorised alongside war crimes and crimes against humanity. Räsänen and her co-defendants had previously been unanimously acquitted by two lower courts following a prosecution lasting nearly seven years. The Supreme Court upheld her acquittal in relation to a 2019 tweet quoting the Bible and a separate radio appearance, but overturned earlier rulings concerning the church booklet by a 3–2 majority.
Räsänen said she is appealing to Europe’s highest human rights court in the final stage of the legal process. “The failure of the Finnish Supreme Court to uphold freedom of speech has set a dangerous precedent in my country and across Europe. I feel it is my duty to appeal this decision, to reinstate respect for the basic human right that all are free to peacefully express their views in the public square.” She added: “I know I am not alone in facing unjust persecution under ‘hate speech’ laws that make sharing Christian beliefs a criminal offense. I make my appeal in the hope that the European Court of Human Rights will recognise that peacefully expressing one’s beliefs is never a crime, and ensure that this basic freedom is protected for all.”
Bishop Pohjola criticised the decision, saying: “As a Bishop, I have a responsibility to guide those under my pastoral care, and I am deeply concerned by the state’s extensive efforts to censor our publications and decide what can and cannot be taught by religious leaders to members of their own group.” He confirmed that he and the Luther Foundation will join Räsänen in appealing to the European Court of Human Rights. The appeal to the European Court of Human Rights represents the final legal avenue for Räsänen and her co-defendants, and is expected to have wider implications for freedom of expression and religious speech across Europe. [Source: Premier Christian News]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss