Dozens of Chinese Christians were injured trying to protect their church from being destroyed by bulldozers authorized by authorities in Wangcun village in China’s northern Shanxi province.
Video footage of the incident shared by Asia News shows thousands of Christians attempting to block the bulldozers from demolishing the church property. They can be heard shouting “Jesus save me!” as government officials surround them.
Policemen assaulted Frs. Chen Jun, Gao Binglong, Ma Ning, Shen Xuezhong and several church members, according to UCA News.
“The security officers and workers left only to discuss countermeasures. I fear that they will come back,” Father Shen, parish priest of Wangcun Church, told the outlet.
Local authorities told church members the demolition is based on a city government requirement to “demolish the old and broken.”
However, China launched the “Three Rectification and One Demolition” campaign three years ago, Christian structures have been targeted. So far, over 1,500 crosses have been removed from church rooftops, and dozens churches labelled “illegal structures” have been demolished.
Officially, China is an atheist country, but constitutionally guarantees religious freedom. Currently, the Party is believed to have around 88 million members, whereas there may be up to 100 million Christians in China today.
Source: Gospel Herald
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