08/05/2022 China (International Christian Concern) – The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) tight regulations on religious content have led to a shortage of Bibles in Hong Kong.
The Franciscans who run the biblical research institute Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (SBF) in Hong Kong report that printing companies in China are disinterested in printing its Catholic Bible due to the small number of copies sold. In addition, printing houses fear printing Bibles without government approval could lead to trouble with authorities.
Available copies of SBF’s Bible have already been sold to bookstores, adding pressure to quickly find a publishing company. According to a member of SBF, Friar Yeung, Hong Kong printing houses lack the staple binding technology used to make Bibles in mainland China, thereby rendering it more difficult to find a printing company.
This incident comes during the CCP‘s massive crackdown on religions, including Christianity. Recently, the government declared that Christians must first register and gain approval from the state to post religious content online. The goal of these kinds of regulations is to control and align religion with the party’s political ideology and goals (a process often referred to as Sinicization).
Despite the troubles between SBF and its printing house, other Christian groups remain unaffected. Revered Liao Jinyuan, the Hong Kong director general of the Protestant group Worldwide Bible Society, reported that printing houses are still operating in Hong Kong and South Korea.
Please pray that SBF can find a printing company willing to publish and distribute Bibles in Hong Kong soon.
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