Religion & Spirituality - Prelate: Asian Christians persecuted

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Prelate: Asian Christians persecuted

HONG KONG July 3 -- The outgoing Orthodox Christians leader of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia said Christians in the region suffer "a series of persecutions" and suggested more religions should be allowed to practice in China. "Christians in many Asian countries are facing serious persecution," Metropolitan Nikitas (Lulias) told Ecumenical News International in an interview on June 27, ENI reported Tuesday.

For example, "The situations [of Christians] in Indonesia and India are complicated. ... Christians were beaten, churches were burnt. What we do is to pray," he said.

U.S.-born Nikitas is leaving his post in Hong Kong to become director of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. Metropolitan Nikitas became leader of the Orthodox church in Southeast Asia in 1997, which included Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Nikitas helped increase the number of Orthodox Christians in Taiwan, Pakistan and Malaysia. He told ENI about 30 Orthodox priests are now serving 25,000 members in the countries he oversees.

The metropolitan, who traveled to mainland China occasionally to worship with Orthodox stationed at the Greek embassy in Beijing, said he is concerned that the Chinese government recognizes only Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Taoism as the country's official religions.

Nikitas believes all established religions should enjoy freedom in China. "China changes every day. The economy is booming. We believe that social changes should also come one day," he said.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.

This news arrived on: 07/04/2007

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