WHY SOME PROTESTANT CHURCHES, RADICAL MUSLIMS, COMMUNISTS, ATHEISTS AND SATANISTS HATE THE CHRISTIAN CROSS?

Source: ChinaAid by Persecution.org
Posted Tuesday, March 15, 2016

China Authorities removing Crosses (Photo Source: Facebook International Christian Concern)

“Three Rectifications and One Demolition” Claims Four more Crosses In Wenzhou

China Aid
Reported and written in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song. Written and edited in English by Ava Collins.

(Wenzhou, Zhejiang—March 15, 2016) As a result of an ongoing “beautification” campaign across China’s coastal Zhejiang province, four more church crosses were demolished by authorities on Thursday and Friday of last week.

Dajing Christian Church and Bailuyu Christian Church both lost their crosses on Thursday evening, and two other crosses, those of Dongyu Church and Baiqiangdi Church, were demolished the next day. Church members of a fifth church, Nange Church, reported receiving a demolition notice for their cross as well.

According to the members of these churches, the many of the demolitions occurred very late at night or early in the morning, when it was least likely that the churches would have people present to resist. One anonymous member said that their church fended off a demolition attempt earlier in the evening at 9 p.m., only to have authorities return at midnight and complete the job.

Since the beginning of March, approximately 10 crosses have been torn down across Wenzhou. Other churches which have managed to protect their crosses from demolition teams have had water and electricity turned off by the city. It is estimated that around 2,000 church crosses have been demolished in Zhejiang as a result of the campaign, titled “Three Rectifications and One Demolition,” which began in April 2014.

ASIA NEWS: A "miracle" at the Holy Door in Zhengding: 10,000 underground Catholics celebrate the Jubilee without arrests (Gallery)

Police stood before the cathedral and among the faithful, some in plainclothes; yet everything went smoothly. Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo is not recognized by the government and is under house arrest, monitored day and night. He is often forced to attend indoctrination classes away from his diocese. Pressures continue on underground priests – even with enticements and cash – to join the Patriotic Association.

Rome (AsiaNews) - "It's a miracle! It is protection from Heaven!” said some Catholics from the underground community in Zhengding (Hebei) after what happened on Sunday, December 13.

About 10,000 faithful from Zhengding, Lingshou, Beijing, and Baoding had gathered outside the cathedral (pictured) to celebrate the beginning of the Jubilee and the opening of the Holy Door.

The "miracle" is that police, which is always present in front of the church, did nothing to prevent the event and did not arrest anyone. (Perhaps) an even greater miracle was the fact that the underground bishop led the liturgy, which lasted from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Mgr Julius Jia Zhiguo, who is not recognized by the government, has been under house arrest for years for refusing to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), and for remaining loyal to the pope.

The CPCA is a Communist Party agency whose aim is to establish a Catholic Church independent from the pope.

Mgr Jia Zhiguo lives near Zhengding cathedral and is monitored day and night. He is often taken away for a week or two of “holiday" – i.e. classes of indoctrination and brainwashing – to convince him to join the CPCA.

Despite this, "it is amazing,” said a nun, “that so many people could gather for so long and no one was arrested. It is likely that there were plainclothes police mingled with the crowd, but nothing happened."

A procession followed by a series of readings from Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee of Mercy, preceded the solemn opening of the Holy Door in Zhengding. A single Eucharistic ceremony followed the door opening.

For years, the Chinese government has been trying to eliminate unregistered underground communities, whose “crime” is that of engaging in unsupervised religious activities. For this reason, priests involved in underground services are often imprisoned.

In recent months, many underground priests and bishops have come under strong pressure to join the CPCA, through enticements and offers of money.

Despite the constant monitoring to which he is subjected, Mgr Jia Zhiguo is well liked by the police as well as the population.

For a long time, he hosted at his residence about 200 abandoned children and disabled people, taking care of them along with some nuns and faithful.

Cardinal Zen: the absurdity of an atheist government that wants to lead the Catholic Church

Chinese Catholics need a strong backbone from the Church. True to his calling, Cardinal Zen becomes the voice of the voiceless for Chinese Catholics who are being persecuted for their unwavering faith. Atheist government like China has no legitimate mandate to lead a Church for God. Let us pray together for our Chinese brethren and remember them in our daily Masses. Individually let us consecrate China to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that China may find its fate like the former USSR. Let the Church of Christ built on a high mountain and proclaim his glory! Let the Catholic Church live in China. - CD2000

Cardinal Zen

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - These last few days, Catholic faithful inside and outside China have noted with sadness and indignation words pronounced by Mr. Liu bainian, Rev. Guo Jinchai, Rev. Fan xxxx and Rev. Yang yu, which are hardly distinguishable from being schismatic. But today’s statement by the Religious Affairs Bureau has reached the extreme of absurdity.

We may understand if the government come out to defend their puppets by saying that they are politically correct, or to praise their courage in resisting foreign pressure; but now they come out to praise their “ardent catholic faith”, and to say that the ordinations without papal mandate are necessary for “the normal running of the Church and for the needs of pastoral and evangelizing activity”. This is absolutely preposterous and ridiculous! As recently some scholars have pointed out, the government now is “running” the Catholic Church.

Are they blind? Have they not had chance to see how the Catholic Church works in the rest of the world? Does the special situation of China force the government to run a Church which simply can no more be recognizable as catholic? They are making themselves the laughing stock of the world!

Cardinal Zen: Vatican and China ‘at war’

Source: CathNews-Philippines

THE Holy See Friday excommunicated Father Joseph Huang Bingzhang, who was ordained as Bishop of Shantou without apostolic mandate on July 14.

This is the second latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication publicly declared on an illicit bishop in the Church of China since the first such ordination on July 4. As in the first one, today’s statement said the Holy See does not recognize the illicitly ordained prelate and that he has no authority to govern the Catholic community of the diocese.

Chinese youth make an appeal for World Youth Day in Madrid

Rome (AsiaNews) – Fifteen young Chinese Catholics would like to participate in World Youth Day scheduled for 16-21 August in Madrid (Spain). Although they work and have saved some money, they cannot sustain the cost of travel and for this reason would like to ask other young people around the world for their help.

AsiaNews received the appeal yesterday, a day before the World Day of Prayer for China, which Benedict XVI has promoted to strengthen the faith and the unity of Chinese Catholics with the universal Church and the pope.

The desire to travel to Madrid for World Youth Day is similarly motivated. “These young people live their faith in a very closed environment,” their parish priest said. “Meeting other young people who share their spirit as well as the Holy Father would be a fundamental experience of communion with the Church and of its universality.”

Patriotic Association threatens 10 episcopal ordinations without papal mandate

Hong Kong (AsiaNew) - The honorary chairman of the Patriotic Association, Anthony Liu Bainian has demanded that the Vatican “not interfere with the self-election and self-ordination” of bishops, [ie without papal mandate-ed] and recognize and support the elected bishops in their work of evangelization. " Liu Bainian, nicknamed "the Pope of China" as a result of his claiming to lead the entire Chinese Church, said there are still at least 10 candidates for the episcopate who will soon be elected according to the method of " self-election and self-ordination”, a method he says is "wanted by the Church in China."

US Commission Names 14 Worst Violators Of Religious Freedom

EWTN - For the first time, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has listed Egypt among the world’s worst violators of religious freedom.

In its 2011 annual report, the commission recommended that the State Department designate 14 nations--Burma, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam--as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs).