A Chinese pastor is released after 7 years in prison, only to find himself unable to get an ID

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — A pastor in China has been released after serving seven years in prison. But The Rev. John Sanqiang Cao, who had studied in married in the U.S., says he’s without any legal documentation in his country, unable to access even the most basic services without a Chinese identification. Cao was arrested while coming back from a missionary trip in Myanmar in 2017. Christianity in China is allowed only in state-sponsored churches, where the ruling Communist Party decides how Scripture should be interpreted. Anything else, including clandestine “house” churches and unofficial Bible schools, is considered illegal, though it was once tolerated by local officials.