CHINA –“We will make the Cross flourish throughout China”
Since late 2013, more than 1,200 crosses have been removed from the churches in Zhejiang Province, China. But the government’s campaign to remove Christian symbols using the excuse of “illegal constructions” has not succeeded in preventing crosses being displayed in the country.
A Catholic priest Dom Vincent Zhu Weifang led a recent protest against the repressive measures of the Chinese government and many Catholics joined him in defence of their Faith. He is not alone in this fight.
Catholics and Protestants are coming together to try to resolve this situation. If the government no longer allows crosses on church buildings, Christians have found another way of expressing their faith. Hundreds of Christians have placed wooden crosses in their homes and cars, transforming the landscape of China’s provinces with the spread of the symbol that annoys the Communist government.
Despite repression by the authorities, Christian communities throughout China are gaining strength as the number of Christians continues to grow in the country. The number of believers is thought to be far greater than local authorities imagine. For example in Zeijiang there are more than 210,000 Christians and there are 120,000 in a province of Wenzhou.
ACN Malta
