Qianwang Catholic Church in China’s Shandong province has become the third church in Jinan Diocese to be demolished by local authorities this year.
Liangwang Catholic Church was bulldozed on July 17 following the demolition of Shilihe Catholic Church, but a Catholic source told ucanews. com that the latter church would be rebuilt in another place.
More than 170 officials demolished Qianwang Church in Huashan town of Jinan city’s Licheng district on Aug. 13, according to a source.
He said authorities “had no explanation or solution and then forcibly demolished it.” A Marian statue and a statue of Jesus were destroyed, while the church’s alms box disappeared.
The source accused officials of ignoring the law, regulations on religious beliefs and the basic demands of the faithful. Such a barbaric demolition of the church had seriously hurt the trust of the faithful in the local authority, he said.
