China tears down only Catholic church in Zhifang

Chinese authorities have demolished the only Catholic church in the village of Zhifang, in Shaanxi province, saying the building "illegally occupied" the ground in the scenic area of the town.

According to Church Militant, the building was torn down on Wednesday after state authorities issued a warning to the residents on Dec. 20. The destruction of the church had resulted in the loss of several sacred items as the congregation was not able to remove the items from the building before and during the demolition.

Among the objects destroyed were the church's cross and the images of the Via Crucis. The tabernacle and other liturgical objects have also disappeared, while the vestments and chairs for prayer were taken away on trucks.

A priest identified only as Shanren had surmised that the church was destroyed so that the authorities could take over the land, which he says has jumped up in value due to the development of a nearby highway.

"The surprising reason given by the authorities was that the church illegally occupied the ground in the scenic area of ​​Zhifang," the priest wrote in a blog post republished by Asia News.

"I remember that, when the church was built in Zhifang, the so-called panoramic area didn't exist, nor did the Xian-Hanzhong highway which was built many years later," he added.

The church, which is located near the Zhifang exit on the Xi'an Hanzong highway, had been used for worship by local Catholics since 1999. Shanren had contended that the church was built with all the necessary permits and approvals from the proper authorities.

"I do not want to go too far into what is illegal, or about who acts in violation of the law, because it is obviously ridiculous to tear down a church, with the excuse that it was built illegally, 20 years after it was built!" the priest exclaimed.

Legal papers have indicated that the church was not only approved, but also had a "permanent" permit to use the land.

Local Catholics have gathered in front of the local municipal building to protest the destruction of the church, but they received no response from the authorities.

One protester asked for prayers "for redemption and for the profaned temple" and called for "real implementation of the policy of religious freedom."

The church demolition took place as the Chinese government prepares to implement the new set of revisions to the Regulations on Religious Affairs in February.

China has stepped up its crackdowns on both registered and unregistered churches over the past few years.

In Zhejiang province, about 1,500 to 2,000 church crosses were forcibly removed by the authorities between 2013 and 2016.