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China releases detained Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

China has freed underground Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri about two months after President Donald Trump publicly called for his release.

Jin, who was arrested by Chinese authorities on Oct. 10, 2025, was reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 3 ahead of America 250 celebrations.

“I am profoundly grateful that Pastor Ezra Jin has been released and reunited with his family,” Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a Catholic, said in a July 5 statement. “I especially thank President Trump for personally raising Pastor Jin’s case with CCP [Chinese Communist Party] General Secretary Xi Jinping and for ensuring that U.S. diplomats remained committed in pressing for his freedom.”

Trump said following his visit to China in May that President Xi Jinping was “giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” referring to Jin. Congress had urged Trump to use the U.S.-China summit to advocate for Jin’s release alongside Jimmy Lai, the jailed Catholic media tycoon and democracy advocate. Trump noted China’s president was less likely to release Lai.

A statement issued to reporters by the pastor’s family said: “We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy.…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Mark Parker

Glad the pastor's back with his family in LA. Trump mentioning him directly to Xi must've helped move things along.

Наталія Руденко

Glad Pastor Gene is finally with his family in Los Angeles. It is good that Trump personally raised this issue with Xi - sometimes such direct conversations work. As for Lai, indeed, the situation there is more complicated, as it is written.

Константин Козлов

Glad the pastor is finally with his family in Los Angeles. It’s good that Trump directly told Xi about him, sometimes it works. But Lai, apparently, will not be released so easily.

Cristina Ionescu

Glad Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri was reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 3rd. Good thing Trump mentioned it directly to Xi in May, apparently it mattered. I pray that God will help him to recover after the two months of detention.

Микола Ткаченко

Yes, Natalia, direct conversations sometimes do help, as in the case of Jean. It's just a pity that Lai is still sitting - his case really looks more difficult. Have you heard if the pastor has already started serving in any church in Los Angeles?

Michael Carter

Glad it worked out for him and his family. The direct word from Trump to Xi seems to have done the trick, though it's a shame it takes that kind of pressure. Wonder how the church back in China is holding up now.