Tens of millions of Christians in China have been warned by the officials to not gather to celebrate Christmas citing the COVID-19 pandemic, a media report said.
Police and religious affairs officials across China have asked people and organisations not to hold any Christmas gatherings, reported Radio Free Asia on Friday.
"In our town, we are not allowed to hold Christmas gatherings, not even parties," RFA quoted the pastor of an unofficial Protestant "house church" in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong who gave only the surname Chen as saying.
"This is also happening in Henan [province] and other places, using the pandemic as a pretext," Chen said, adding local police had contacted him on Wednesday to make sure his church does not organise anything.
They are only allowed to hold gathering virtually now.
Officials in the eastern province of Shandong have imposed similar restrictions.
The pastor of a church in the eastern province of Shandong, who gave only the name John, said similar restrictions are in the place where he lives.
"They warned us in the run-up to Christmas that there are to be no activities [related to Christmas]. It's the same for some of the churches outside [town]," said the pastor of a church in the eastern province of Shandong, who gave only the name John.
Meanwhile, government censors appeared to have scrubbed references to the festival from social media platforms, as local officials in the southwestern region of Guangxi warned primary and secondary schools, students and parents, not to stage any Christmas activities, according to RFA.
( With inputs from ANI )
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