Major Fight To Bring Jailed Pastor Home

Longtime followers of the ACLJ likely remember our advocacy on behalf of Pastor John Cao, who served a seven-year prison sentence after sharing the love of Christ through humanitarian work.

Even though he ultimately served his entire sentence, his release should have marked the beginning of freedom, healing, reunion, and restoration. Unfortunately, due to an administrative law (Article 14 of China’s Passport Law) that allows his passport to be withheld for up to three years after his release, he remains in China, unable to return home to the United States to be reunited with his family.

To make matters worse, Pastor Cao has recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, which is aggressive, life-threatening, and time-sensitive. Treatment options in the United States, such as advanced oncology care, clinical trials, and specialized therapies, are readily available. Unfortunately, Pastor Cao cannot access them while trapped in administrative limbo.

Issuing Pastor Cao’s passport would not be a political concession. It would be a humanitarian act consistent with China’s laws and with President Xi’s recent gesture of goodwill to release Chinese Pastor Ezra Jin from a Chinese prison. Therefore, we respectfully ask the Chinese authorities to issue Pastor Cao’s passport immediately, in accordance with Article 14, and in recognition of the humanitarian situation.

We call on U.S. officials, human rights organizations, and faith communities to advocate clearly, consistently, and urgently for Pastor Cao’s immediate humanitarian release. This is a moment for governments, advocates, and communities to speak with one voice.

Please sign our petition to have your voice heard to bring Pastor Cao home. During our Impact Match, gifts are doubled – donate today.

While praying for Pastor Cao’s release, you can also join the Nehemiah Alliance, a national prayer initiative. ACLJ Senior Counsel CeCe Heil joined the broadcast to give an update about the ACLJ’s partnership with this important endeavor:

Prayer is a foundational weapon we have at the ACLJ, and I know our supporters know that as well. We’re also working with the Nehemiah Alliance, which is a 52-day prayer initiative, where we’re asking every Christian in the United States to [go to] NA52.org to join up.

And you’re saying, I commit to praying for 52 days for my family, for my community, for my state, for my nation, literally – following Nehemiah’s plan of rebuilding our walls in 52 days. I think we would all agree that the spiritual walls of the United States have fallen, and we need to rebuild those. And so it’s NA52.org. You sign up, and it’s a commitment to pray for 52 days.

It starts at sundown on September 10. It ends November 1, right before the midterm elections, which are so critical. And every one of those 52 days, the ACLJ’s team puts together prayers that you can pray along with, and there will be one prayer that everybody will be praying as well. And we’re asking for a commitment to pray and fast for our nation.

We know firsthand the power of prayer as God has blessed our legal efforts. Please continue to pray for the ACLJ’s legal team as we advocate for persecuted Christians around the world, such as Pastor Cao.

CNN’s Future Hangs in the Balance

It appears that CNN could be sold as Paramount Skydance weighs its options to resolve a 12-state antitrust lawsuit seeking to prevent the movie company from acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery and leaving California to escape higher taxes. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is spearheading the legal effort to keep Paramount in California.

So CNN is basically a bargaining chip right now in the struggle to determine whether media can be monopolized if Paramount (which owns CBS News) purchases Warner Bros. Discovery for $110 billion. The media company that owns DC Comics, Looney Tunes, and HBO currently owns CNN, which Ted Turner sold to Time Warner for $7.5 billion in 1996.

Paramount CEO David Ellison recently announced plans to perhaps relocate to Tennessee, Georgia, or Texas. He claims that leaving California will save his company $500 million annually in taxes. We’ll find out if Paramount pulls off the merger and moves to a red state.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included a full update on Pastor Cao, analysis of CNN’s potential sale, and we also discussed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s decision to step down to focus on her children.

Watch the full broadcast below: