Religion: Exit

2 minute read
TIME

After 18 years of invasion and revolution and a year of Communist domination, there are still an estimated 1,000 Protestant and 5,000 Roman Catholic foreign missionary workers in China. But now that the Communist government has rung down the Bamboo Curtain on U.S. activities in China (TIME, Jan. 8), many of the sowers must leave the seed to grow or wither without their care.

From Hong Kong last week came reports that Chinese Communist measures against foreigners were forcing large groups of Protestant missionaries to leave the country. Meanwhile, Peking Radio announced that a new “independent” church was being set up for “Chinese Catholics who love their country.”

The American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, said Home Secretary Dr. Jesse Wilson, had not ordered its 24 remaining missionaries in China to return, but was “advising” them that the time had come. Said he: “Our guess is that they are going to act on the suggestion.” Said Dr. Lloyd Ruland, China Secretary for the Foreign Missions Board of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.: “Though we haven’t actually proposed it, we expect fully half of our remaining missionaries to be out of China by the end of February.” Both the Episcopal and Congregational Churches have called for a withdrawal.

As a group, the priests, lay brothers and nuns of the Roman Catholic Church seemed to be sticking it out, despite an estimated loss of at least 85 priests killed in China and Korea during the past 2? years.

Last week the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, better known as the Maryknoll Fathers, issued a statement: “At the present moment, Communist prisons hold two Maryknoll bishops, seven Maryknoll priests, one Maryknoll brother, three Maryknoll sisters, and four Chinese priests from Maryknoll dioceses. Scores of others are under house arrest. Still others have been evicted from their missions . . .

“At the present time, Maryknoll has over 140 American priests, brothers and sisters in South China, the largest single group of Americans. In accordance with directives given by the Holy See, Mary-knollers are remaining at their posts as long as they can . . .”

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