(South China Morning Post) A Protestant house church pastor in China has been charged with fraud over her handling of church offerings, raising fears that her conviction could set a dangerous legal precedent for other “house church” leaders.
Hao Zhiwei, a former minister at a Protestant church in Ezhou in central Hubei province, was arrested in July last year and charged four months later, according to an indictment issued by the city prosecutors in December.
According to the charges, Hao, 48, is accused of swindling 2.24 million yuan (US$332,850) in church offerings.