China: Local government razes Catholic parish to ground

Source: AsiaNews

This morning, the Qianyang (Shaanxi) government in northwest China, razed the only parish in the city to the ground. A bulldozer reduced the two-story building to rubble under the supervision of a group of policemen. Bernardo Cervellera writes for AsiaNews.

The Qianyang parish was located in a very poor area of Shaanxi and gathers around 2 thousand Catholics, all peasants. It was built with offerings from other communities in the diocese. On the upper floor the building housed the liturgy room; on the ground floor there were offices and the nuns residence. The sisters offered medical aid, medical visits and medicines to the indigent population.

The reasons for the destruction are still not known clearly.

The Diocese of Fengxiang, led until 2017 by Mgr Luke Li Jingfeng has a special character in the Chinese church scene: it is the only diocese where neither the faithful nor the bishop are members of the Patriotic Association, although there is an Office for Religious Affairs. From 2017, the bishop has been 54 years old Mgr Peter Li Huiyuan.

Some observers think that violence against the parish is a way to force the diocese to apply the new religious regulations and to have bishops and priests enrolled in the Patriotic Association.

Others point out that the communist cell that presides over the Qianyang government is made up of radical Maoists, for whom "religion is a fantasy that must be eradicated".

The church of Qianyang is famous in the area: in the past, according to the faithful, some miracles have been attributed to the holy water in the parish. Since then, many have flocked to receive holy water that is used as a physical and spiritual remedy for humans and animals.

For some believers, the destruction is due to the Maoists "fear of holy water".