Christians in eastern China are calling on Communist Party leaders to abandon their campaign to tear down local churches, it was reported in early April.
At least ten places of worship in Zhejiang province are currently threatened with demolition or having crosses that were deemed too prominent removed from their roofs.
Christians believe it is part of a deliberate attack on the region’s Protestant church by senior members of Zhejiang’s officially atheist Communist Party. Senior officials are said to object to the church’s growing visibility in what is often described as China’s most Christian region.
Protecting their church
Believers flocked to Wenzhou’s Sanjiang church to protect it after local officials claimed the building was unsafe and would be demolished.
‘Why, all of a sudden, is the government demanding that we tear down our church?’ asked Huang Weijuan, 39, a local woman who was among the protestors. ‘I will carry on my fight until the end, no matter what action the government takes.’
