Communist ?Crusade? against Christianity: Chinese Communist Party vandalises more Christian churches, pulls down crosses

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has pulled down more crosses from the top of Christian churches this month as part of its post-Corona crusade against Christianity and other religions. The campaign is reportedly aimed at eradicating the Christian religious and cultural symbols from the Chinese landscape.

In the past two weeks, authorities have removed crosses from the top of two church buildings, sources told UCA News on April 27. They fear more such actions.

According to reports, on Easter Sunday, the Chinese authorities ripped down the cross that used to surmount the tympanum of a church in the diocese of Xinxiang in Henan province.

A blogger priest, Father Shanren Shenfu said that silence in the face of the destruction of crosses is part of the price to pay for the Vatican’s agreement with the CCP on the appointment of bishops in the country.

“Now when a cross is removed, Christians must be calm and smile,” Father Shenfu said. “Accepting the removal of the crosses as an everyday event therefore seems to be the only great contribution that the Chinese Catholic faithful and all the people of God can make to the continuation of the [Sino-Vatican] Agreement.” “If you are angry about it, you are considered a criminal!” the priest said.

On April 18, the Chinese authorities removed the cross from Our Lady of the Rosary church in the diocese of Anhui. Even though the parish leaders petitioned local authorities for permission to carry out repairs on the building, officials denied the permission, saying the plan is to remove all crosses from Christian churches in the area, both Catholic and Protestant.

In a separate incident, authorities arrived at a church in Suzhou City in the same Anhui diocese at 4:00am on April 19 and removed the cross from that church as well.

Similarly, authorities removed the cross from a historic Christian church in Hefei on April 27. The Hefei Christian Church (HCC), Hefei city’s largest Christian church, was founded by American missionaries sent by Disciples of Christ to China in 1896.

“The same routine and tactics are used all across China,” said a priest from Anhui, identified only as Father Chen. “This is not the case of a particular diocese or province. It is happening all over the mainland, but the mainland church is silent.”

“If the churches don’t unite to resist, many more crosses will be removed,” the priest declared.