【時代論壇訊．開普敦】第三屆洛桑世界福音大會於十月十八日的首個每日記者會發出新聞稿，正式回應內地信徒被阻赴會事件。
本身為東道主的南非洛桑委員會主席Peter Tarantal在新聞稿中表示，當中國與非洲的雙邊關係良好之際，今次事件更見突兀。
不過在記者會上回應提問時他補充，相信事件不會影響中非關係。
Peter Tarantal在新聞稿裡坦言，他自己作為一名南非黑人，曾經因為種族隔離政策而嘗過不公義的苦頭；因此對於今時今日世上仍有需要為得享自由而掙扎，特別感到痛苦。「中國的缺席，是很大的遺憾。」
而大會執行主席Rev. Douglas Birdsall在新聞稿指洛桑主辦單位無意挑戰中國政府關於教會自傳、自養、自牧的原則，並強調大會參加者的遴選過程與標準，全球如一。他期望，今次事件只屬中國政府基於大會的國際連繫性質而作的「謹慎之舉」（caution），「而不是反映該國限制宗教自由的新常態。否則，全球基督徒及領袖均會同感關注，因為這種行為，跟大國及長治久安的社會（great nations and enduring societies）的建立原則，並不相符。」
對於屬獨立家庭教會的內地信徒，被當局大規模阻止前赴南非參加洛桑大會；中國外交部於十月十二日給傳媒查詢的書面回應，指摘大會不邀請中國基督教兩會，而與「私設聚會點人員」祕密聯繫，是對中國宗教事務的粗暴干涉。不過，聲明並無提及「反華勢力」的字眼。
大會的新聞稿指，大會兩年來的遴選工作，包括了邀請全國兩會作觀察員，以及邀請新興城巿教會和大型農村教會參加。較早時，大會東亞地區國際副主任李秀全牧師在十月十七日大會開幕前發出聲明，指由於中國的官方教會未能簽署《洛桑信約》而造成諸多不便，是籌備工作的一大疏忽；然而全國兩會仍可透過觀察員的席位，在不須簽署信約的前提下，赴會參加。李秀全在聲明中指，歷屆會議代表均須簽署《洛桑信約》；而《信約》強調，實踐耶穌基督大使命是每位基督徒不可推諉的責任。
（時代論壇洛桑大會專頁，capetown2010.christiantimes.org.hk，2010.10.19）
CHINA MISSING FROM GLOBAL TABLE AS CAPE TOWN 2010 CONGRESS OPENED SUNDAY IN SOUTH AFRICA
Third Lausanne Congress is Most-Representative Event in Church History as 4200 Participants from 198 Countries Reflect Diverse Richness of Christian ChurchCAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, 18 October 2010 – As participants gathered in Cape Town for the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization that began here Sunday evening, organizers received news that the second largest delegation – more than 200 Christian leaders from China – were disallowed by their government from attending.
‘It is with profound regret that we, as the host country for Cape Town 2010, have learned that the Chinese authorities have disallowed the Chinese invitees to exit China to attend the Congress,’ said Peter Tarantal, chair of the South African Lausanne Committee. ‘The absence of the Chinese delegation is a great disappointment, and the loss of shared experience and participation from our Chinese brothers and sisters is particularly acute given that South Africa and China enjoy such good bilateral relations. The much-anticipated Africa – China dialogue scheduled to take place at the Cape Town Congress is now postponed.’
Cape Town 2010, being held 16-25 October, is the latest global congress sponsored by The Lausanne Movement, begun by Billy Graham in 1974. Despite the lack of full representation encompassing the breadth and vitality of Christian communities in China, the Congress is possibly the most representative gathering of the Christian church in history. In addition to the 4200 participants from 198 countries meeting together in South Africa, it extends to another anticipated 100,000 individuals at nearly 700 GlobaLink sites in more than 95 countries around the world.
‘Lausanne Congress participants selected for Cape Town 2010 express wide-ranging theological and cultural diversity of the Church in every country,’ said Doug Birdsall, executive chair of The Lausanne Movement. ‘The selection criteria and process used by indigenous leaders in China was the same used by other national and regional selection teams around the world.
‘The Lausanne planners have no intention of challenging the Chinese government’s principle of independent, autonomous and self-governed churches,’ Mr Birdsall continued. ‘We recognize the nature of the Christian community and their contribution in Chinese society while respecting China’s established institutions. We very much regret that our intentions and the decentralized invitation process to our Chinese brothers and sisters have been wrongly perceived.’
The Most Revd Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda and honorary chair of the African Host Committee will preside over a long-planned programme Monday evening highlighting the church in China. He echoed the profound disappointment and sense of incompleteness among Congress leadership in knowing that Christians from China will not be able to join in the gathering.
‘It is an amazing privilege for Africa, which is fast becoming a center for world missions, to host men and women whom God is bringing from around the world as we begin a new chapter for the 21st Century,’ Archbishop Orombi said. ‘Our African leadership was looking forward to developing closer ties, friendship and mutual understanding with our Chinese brothers and sisters in a spirit of love, humility, fraternity and support. Not having them here is like not having Brazil at the World Cup – it is unimaginable. We want them to know that this community reflecting the worldwide Body of Christ stands with them as they gather in spirit with us here.’
Mr Morley Lee, General Secretary of The Chinese Coordinating Center of World Evangelization, serves as International Deputy Director of The Lausanne Movement for the Chinese World. 'We are shocked that the China participants cannot join the Congress, but we are blessed by their peaceful and calm trust in God,’ he said. ‘We believe God still sits on His throne and that “He works all things for the good of those who love Him.’’’
Mr Tarantal added, ‘As a black South African who once tasted the bitter pill of injustice through Apartheid, it is especially painful that in this day and age there still exists the need to struggle and persevere in the fight for freedom. We say to our Chinese family, “Your absence is our loss and your non-participation will leave a great void.’’’
International news reports have prompted many friends and Christian leaders to express their support to Congress organizers; some have also voiced their sincere and solemn concern to Chinese authorities about their decision to prevent the Chinese leaders from participating.
According to Mr Birdsall, at the last Lausanne Congress in Manila in 1989, 200 seats reserved for the Chinese church were left vacant as the delegation was prevented from leaving the country. But much has changed since then, and over the past two years in-country selection coordinators carefully worked through relationships to include representation of all Christian communities in China, including observers from the China Christian Council (CCC) and Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and participants from rapidly growing urban house fellowships and large rural churches.
'It is a major disappointment to participants from 198 countries that at this Congress, once again the Chinese delegation is conspicuously absent,' Mr Birdsall said. 'Though all registered participants had proper documentation, including current passports and visas, most were detained at airports or passport control as they attempted to depart China en route to Cape Town.
‘The surprising and unfortunate restrictions placed on our Chinese colleagues may represent mere caution on the part of their government, due to the international nature of this gathering and the global networking that will take place,’ he concluded. ‘We certainly hope this does not reflect a precedent for a ‘new normal’ of limitations on religious freedom in their country. If so, Christian leaders and believers around the world will have similar concerns that this action is inconsistent with the principles upon which great nations and enduring societies are built.’
