Christianity CRACKDOWN: Fury as 8,000 churches CLOSED DOWN due to RED TAPE
FEARS of a crackdown on Christianity have grown after more than 8,000 churches were shut down due to petty red tape violations in Rwanda.
By LATIFA YEDROUDJ
Express.co.uk
Tue, Jul 31, 2018
Rwandan Christians have expressed outrage after the crackdown, as officials enforced a strict set of rules declaring churches “unfit” for practise.
Thousands of churches in the East African country have been closed in recent weeks, after churches failed to meet the country’s new stringent requirements, which were announced at the beginning of the year.
Authorities have even shut down a village church while a wedding was taking place, with the couple and guests ordered to evacuate the building.
Included among the new regulations are rules regarding the location of toilets, with any violations resulting in authorities shutting down the building.
A local worshipper told anti-persecution watchdog World Watch Monitor: “On checking which churches were included, we learned that all churches are suffering the same fate, and that even churches considered luxurious for local standards have had to close.
“It seems that the local authorities in the different districts initially had some freedom about the degree to which they could enforce the new requirements.
“However, it now seems that those who were more lenient have been rebuked and have become stricter.
“In one district authorities banned all meetings of a closed church, and congregants are not even allowed to meet in home groups.”
Some villagers now have to walk 20km to attend a church in another neighbourhood, after authorities closed their local church down.
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