International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on the morning of November 21, more than 100 government officers in uniform raided the Beimen (North Gate) Catholic Church in the city of Ji’an in Jiangxi Province. They tore religious posters, shattered religious icons and statues, and injured four elderly Catholics who were defending the church.
These officers from City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau, commonly known as Chengguan, are part of city management agencies responsible for handling daily aspects of urban life. They are notorious for their use of violence and capricious crackdowns. In this instance, they were employed to confiscate the church property, although they had no legal basis for doing so.
According to UCA News, Bishop John Baptist Li Suguang of Jiangxi asked priests to spread news of the raid to the public. The next day, priests and approximately 70 Catholics from the area marched with banners to Ji’an City government offices and demanded apologies from the authorities and that those responsible for the violence be punished.
Fearful of the situation getting out of hand, the Ji’an government has agreed to negotiate with the church, investigate the use of violence by Chengguan, and compensate the injured. Priests already began negotiation with the government on November…
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