Posted on 05/14/2019 6:39:46 PM PDT by marshmallow
The government wants to demolish the church because it is "too visible from the highway". It also says that there are no building permits. But the faithful say this is false. The Communist Party changes attitudes "like the moon": first it gives the permits, then it denies them. Prayer campaign of the faithful. Handan is only the first step: other dioceses are next.
Handan (AsiaNews) – Last night, between May 6 and 7, the demolition of the Catholic church of the village of Shen Liu in the diocese of Handan (Hebei) began. So far the destruction has entailed removing a huge cross from the bell tower, but soon the walls will be torn down.
Local authorities have motivated their decision because the church and the cross are "too visible" from the nearby highway and passing cars can be distracted by the Christian symbol and the building. They also say that the church does not have all the necessary building permits. Instead parishioners maintain that the church – belonging to the official community - was built with the permission of the Religious Affairs Office.
According to some priests of the diocese, the local government has already planned the destruction of 23 other churches, all belonging to the official community.
The injunction to demolish Shen Liu's church dates to April1 8, Holy Thursday. After much discussion with the priest in charge, the authorities agreed to removing only the cross and saving the building, however, only if it is used for other purposes not related to worship.
It is very likely that the priest will accept this condition. As one of the faithful comments, taking his cue from the game of Chess, he is willing "to sacrifice the knight to save the queen".
The Diocese of Handan has already been warned that there are.......
(Excerpt) Read more at asianews.it ...
Christ don’t need no building
Even though I am not Catholic, this is my fight too.
Anywhere Christians are persecuted, we are to pray for them and bear their burdens.
The Chicomms have taken the signal from Little Boy Bergoglio that they can do as they please.
This article is shocking. The entire papacy is a very bad dream with no end in sight.
““The Holy Father asks Catholics in particular to undertake with courage the path of unity, reconciliation and a renewed proclamation of the Gospel. He sees China not only as a great country but also as a great culture, rich in history and wisdom,” he said.
The Vatican Secretary of State pointed to the fight against poverty, environmental and climatic emergencies, migration, and ethical scientific development as global issues in which China and the Vatican can work together in a spirit of positive cooperation with “the dignity of the human person be placed at the center.”
“The Holy See hopes that China will not be afraid to enter into dialogue with the wider world and that the world’s nations will give credit to the profound aspirations of the Chinese people. In this way, with everyone working together, I am sure that we will be able to overcome mistrust and build a more secure and prosperous world,” Parolin said.”
Truly frightening...up is down, left is right, bad is good.
Amen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.