The clergyman from St Joseph’s Church in Reddish, Greater Manchester was threatened with a screwdriver early on Tuesday morning by the two robbers.

They stole a laptop, watch and the priest’s iPhone before forcing him to show them where donations were kept.

After locking him in a cupboard, they took the money and fled.

Police were alerted to the robbery at the priest’s living quarters when two other priests that had hid in their rooms after hearing what was going phoned the emergency service.

Detective Constable Andrew Budsworth said: “This was a terrifying robbery where the offenders really are the lowest of the low. They knew that they were intending on stealing money that had been donated to charity.

“The victims were left incredibly shaken by their ordeal and we are doing all that we can to help them through it and get them the justice they deserve.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 0161 856 9970 ore alternatively call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

According to religious freedom charity China Aid, police demolished Golden Lampstand Church on Tuesday.

Authorities placed the bombs in underground worship halls beneath the church and proceeded to destroy its above-ground building.

The charity said this is not the first time the church has faced persecution. Some of Golden Lampstand Church’s leaders have been imprisoned for one to seven years, simply for serving at their church.

Also, when the church was being built in September 2009, church members who slept at the construction site were beaten by officials.

China has been targeting unregistered churches such as Golden Lampstand. Churches that refuse to register do so in order to opt out of government monitoring.

Yang Rongli, who was arrested in 2011 for being a part of the church said she saw the demolition.

She told a ChinaAid reporter: “The police surrounded the Golden Lampstand Church. Patrol wagons guarded the church. Workers smashed the church’s glass.

“At this point, excavators are digging into the church, but we are not allowed to enter or watch.

“The village head and the police from the local police station warned all the believers against entering the church. Now, we really have no idea what is going to happen.”

ChinaAid President and Founder Bob Fu has urged the government to stop demolishing churches and to compensate the Christians who paid for the building.

He said: “The repeated persecution of Golden Lampstand Church demonstrates that the…

The annual feast of the Black Nazarene features a centuries-old life-size blackened statue of Jesus, which people try to kiss or touch, believing it to possess miraculous powers.

Officials said 3.5 million barefoot devotees on Tuesday attended the “generally peaceful” event, despite crowds jostling to touch the icon.

However, police say a man died of a heart attack as he joined a number of people who attempted to climb onto the carriage bearing the Black Nazarene as it arrived at the Quiapo Church in Manila.

This is not the first time the festival has been marred with a death.

In 2016, two people died during the event in the mainly Catholic Asian nation.

Injuries included a suspected neck and spine injury in a fall, according to the Philippine Red Cross.

During the parade, police shut down mobile phone signals in many areas of Manila to prevent potential terror attacks on the procession.