Church in China set to demolished for not removing the cross from the top of the building

A Three-Self Patriotic Movement church in China’s coastal Zhejiang province is facing demolition after refusing to remove the cross that tops the building.

Sanjijang Church CCL Facebook photo

“When the Party secretary Xia Baolong visited the local areas, he found the cross on top of the church very conspicuous. So he ordered that it be demolished. Then, the officials from Yongjia county demanded that the church tear down the cross and the top floor of the church,” Zheng Leguo, a young leader at Sanijang Church in Wenzhou, said in new reports.

China Aid previously reported that other churches in Zhejiang had crosses forcibly removed from their buildings.

“The church said there are many people who are protecting it. However, the government has dispatched many people and organized them to get ready for the forced demolition. They even said they would use dynamite to blow the church up,” Yang Xingquan, a lawyer keeping up with the case, said.

When believers heard that the government threatened to blow the church up on Wednesday, large groups began gathering in order to protect the church.

The believers don’t know where they can rebuild the church. That’s why more than 100 brothers and sisters guard the church every night,” a local said.

To handle the growing crowds, local authorities dispatched SWAT teams. “Four or five people came to visit the scene. We were afraid that there were too few of us to resist an attack by the SWAT team. That’s why we take turns guarding the church at night,” one believer told China Aid.