You know things aren’t going well for China’s reigning Communist tyrant, Xi Jinping, when authorities demand that churches praise Jinping’s handling of the Coronavirus in order to reopen after closing because of the pandemic.

It tells you many Chinese are blaming Jinping for his mishandling and cover-up of the Coronavirus crisis that most believe leaked out of a government laboratory in Wuhan and the resulting economic devastation. In fact, it was the Chinese who first reported on the problems with the Wuhan laboratory.

The Blaze writes:

State-run churches in China are allegedly under orders from the country’s communist leadership to praise Chinese President Xi Jinping before being permitted to reopen, according to religious liberty watchdog reports.

A publication on Bitter Winter, a magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China, reported that the Lishiting Catholic Church in the Shunhe district of Kaifeng reopened on June 14 after five months of being closed, but only after proving its loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“We solemnly raise the national flag here today after the epidemic, witnessing the fruits of all people working together under the leadership of Xi Jinping who directs the government and the Party,” a priest reportedly told a gathering of about 20 people as government officials looked on.

Bitter Winter describes what happened at a second church on the same day:

The Gangxi Christian Church in the district was also reopened at 8 o’clock that same morning. “The church finally reopened after five months, 147 days, or 21 Sundays, but instead of singing hymns to praise God, the government required us to raise the national flag and sing the national anthem, praising Xi Jinping’s ‘victory in fighting the epidemic,’” a congregation member commented. “This is completely contrary to our belief.”

READ: Chinese churches reportedly required to praise Xi Jinping’s handling of the coronavirus before being allowed to reopen AND Must Raise National Flag and Sing Anthem to Reopen Church AND China churches ordered to praise Xi Jinping’s handling of coronavirus before reopening, watchdog says

And of course, more recently there is the story of a Chinese scientist who fled Hong Kong to the US fearing for her life. She says Communist authorities knew of the coronavirus long before it became public. READ: EXCLUSIVE: Chinese virologist accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up, flees Hong Kong: ‘I know how they treat whistleblowers’