Tearing down churches - 2000
Wenzhou, where Communists razed churches.
Introduction
China’s Communist leaders have always been hostile to Christianity, in part because of Communism’s fundamental atheism, and in part because Christianity is seen as a foreign religion. Roman Catholicism has especially been viewed by the Chinese as imperialist. On this day, 13 December 2000, David Rennie reported from Beijing on a new round of hostile Communist activity in the heavily Catholic city of Wenzhou.
Quote
“Chinese authorities in the city of Wenzhou have torn down or blown up more than 200 illegal churches and temples.
“A further 239 small places of worship in the east coast city, many of them linked to the underground Roman Catholic Church, have been forced to close.
“China’s millions of underground Christians face a bleak Christmas as a long-running campaign against illegal worship of all varieties coincides with a crisis in China's relations with the wider Christian world.
“‘In the past week, I have received several reports from China that bishops and priests have been detained by police, and I am now trying to authenticate them,’ said Joseph Kung, head of the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation, which monitors the underground Catholic Church in China.
“‘Probably this is the beginning of the crackdown for the Christmas season. All these important feast days, like Christmas and Easter, they always crack down.’”
…..
[The press release describes Wenzhou and past persecution in the area]
“The 449 centers that were targets of the latest campaign had all failed to register with the State Administration for Religious Affairs, officials said.
“Religious worship, though protected by the constitution, must be ‘patriotic,’ and can only take place in establishments under the control of the atheist Communist Party.”
Daily Telegraph.