Calling for the Release of Pastor John Cao

Pastor John Cao, a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States, who spent decades pastoring churches and establishing Bible schools to relieve poverty, is trapped in administrative limbo in China. He was arrested in 2017 for an alleged border crossing violation while providing humanitarian relief near the Chinese-Burma border, and was forced to serve a seven-year prison sentence.

Although international bodies and conservative leaders condemned this injustice, Pastor Cao is not yet completely free. He completed his prison sentence in March 2024 and was released from prison, but his freedom was not fully reinstated. Instead of being allowed to return to the United States and reunite with his family, Article 14 of China’s Passport Law is being used to withhold his travel documents and keep him in China until March 2027.

This cruelty has now reached a desperate breaking point. At 67 years old, Pastor Cao has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He does not have time to wait on bureaucratic delay. Continuing to withhold his passport is a decision enabling the suffering of an innocent man of faith. Every day his travel documents are unavailable is another day a dying pastor cannot get essential medical care, embrace his wife of 40 years, or see his 2 sons in North Carolina. 

Under Article 14, the Chinese government possesses the legal power to grant Pastor Cao’s passport immediately. That is why legal advocacy champions like the American Center for Law and Justice are leading the charge on the front lines, fighting relentlessly to cut through Beijing’s red tape and secure their client’s return. Working alongside CPAC to shine a national spotlight on this fight, the ACLJ is ensuring that the persecution of Christians is never ignored by world leaders. As Pastor Cao faces this life-threatening battle, we stand united to support the organizations fighting for his freedom and ensure this faithful minister makes it home to his family.