Chinese Pastor Still Missing Nearly Six Months After Arrest
Nearly six months after authorities took 73-year-old Pastor Wang Sanyuan from his home on March 17, his family has received no official explanation for his detention and no word on his whereabouts or whether he has been charged with a crime. Wang leads Chanchunli Church in Ji'nan, the capital of Shandong Province, a government-registered congregation with 500 to 600 regular attendees, a detail that sets his case apart from crackdowns typically aimed at unregistered house churches.
Sources believe Wang's disappearance may be connected to a long-running property dispute, as church leaders resisted state efforts to close or take control of the congregation more than a decade ago. His family says they are especially concerned given his history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions, which have required hospitalization multiple times in the past.
