As we noted last Wednesday, the Chinese government’s crackdown on unregistered Protestant churches can and does have impact upon Orthodox and Catholic churches as well, particularly in light of the fact that the government has so far refused to grant official status to the Orthodox Christians of China. All the Christians of China are particularly vulnerable today; international pressure needs to be brought upon the Chinese government to end the persecution. Meanwhile, please pray that the persecutors of Christians in China will, like St. Paul, encounter the Lord and join those whom they are persecuting.
“Shaanxi Government Demolishes the Only Parish in Qianyang,” International Christian Concern, April 5, 2019:
04/05/2019 China (International Christian Concern) – On April 4, the government in Shaanxi province forcibly demolished the only parish in Qianyang city. The two-story building was reduced to a pile of rubble by a bulldozer, under the supervision of local police….
Situated in an impoverished area of Shaanxi, Qianyang parish gathers around 2,000 Catholics, all of whom are farmers. Other communities in the diocese contributed to the construction to this parish. The second floor of the building was used as the liturgy room, whereas the ground floor was used for offices and clergy residence….
Underground Catholic churches in China these days are facing intensified crackdown, as Beijing seeks to ‘unify’ them with the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association and submit them under the authority of the Party, instead of the Pope.
