Tibetans in remote Catholic enclave see Easter services curtailed

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

CIZHONG, China (AFP) — The Tibetan Catholic Church in Cizhong, a Christian enclave on the threshold of the Himalayas, has seen its Easter services curbed after anti-Chinese riots in Lhasa caused the region's deadliest tensions in two decades.

As a result, this tiny community of less than 1,000 souls located in amid picturesque mountains in an overwhelmingly Buddhist area has been affected by the recent unrest where it matters the most for them -- religion.

Easter Sunday is the most important day for the congregation at Cizhong's nearly 100-year-old church due to the similarities between the resurrection of Christ and the reincarnation beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism, locals here said.

"The resurrection of Christ has long been the most attractive aspect of the...