The communist Chinese government removed every religious reference in a Catholic pilgrimage site in China, a report revealed.
As part of its continuous crackdown on Christianity and religion in general, the Chinese communist government recently removed all the religious references in a known Catholic pilgrimage site, LifeSiteNews reported. The authorities replaced the references with Communist party sanctioned alternatives.
The Chinese government forced Catholics in Zhaojialing in Xiangyuan county in the Northern province of Shanxi to take down every reference that displays the word of God or any image that represents their belief such as images of God, heaven, the Virgin Mary, as well as the saints. Christian citizens in the traditionally known Catholic village were urged to replace the public references in their doorposts with phrases politically accepted in the secular world.
Phrases in Christian door posts such as "Heavenly grace is overflowing," "The Lord bestows great grace," and "The light of grace shines," were forcefully taken down. Street signs saying "The Street of Our Lady of the Fields" and "Gate of Heaven" were removed as well.
The authorities forced house owners to replace their faith-based references with phrases such as "Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all undertakings" and "Homeland filled with happiness." Authorities also replaced the removed street signs with politically acceptable phrases saying "The Street of Harmony" and "Gate of Roses."
Aside from removing the religious references, citizens in the community also revealed that authorities installed cameras inside the village church for monitoring. Due to the increased tightening of sanctions, priests and churchgoers reportedly gathered secretly.
Reports about China's efforts to prevent Christians from displaying religious references in public is not new. Back in May, steles of martyrs and images of saints were covered up in a government-controlled Catholic church. The religious figures were hidden as per the Chinese communist government orders to a church in Xingtai city in the central province of Hebei. Churches have also been closed, rented out, or converted into culture centers.
The ongoing persecution of Christians and continuous oppression to express their faith is part of the communist government's sinicization effort. China aims to align religion to the officially sanctioned interpretation of the Chinese culture.
Reports reveal that the persecution of Christians in China marked a significant rise after the Vatican's alleged secret deal with China. Cardinal Joseph Zen dubbed the agreement as he "incredible betrayal." The secret deal gave the Chinese government the authority to get involved in the Catholic Church's appointment of leaders such as bishops.
After the Vatican and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement for the unification of state-sanctioned and underground Catholic communities in September 2018, churches in China experienced increased persecution. Authorities in the communities demolished churches and pushed Christians out of their houses while crosses and religious references were taken down by force.
Priests and church leaders who refused to join the government-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association were kidnapped and tortured. Father Liu Maochun, a Catholic priest is one among the 20 who experienced the torture of banging gong close to his ears and shining bright lights into his eyes consistently for several days for refusing to compromise his faith.
