From The Eponymous Flower
(Beijing) On the night of December 19th, a women's monastery in the People's Republic of China was evicted by the police and largely destroyed. The monastery is located in Gannan County, Qiqihar District Free City, Heilongjiang Province.
The police forced the nuns to leave the monastery within an hour. The authorities say the building was illegally built and houses an underground church community.
Bishop Wei Jingyi announced today that the nuns have found an emergency shelter. They also managed to convince the authorities to leave at least a part of the monastery building. So the part with the chapel could be saved.
The remaining parts were destroyed.
On December 18, at around 11 pm, police intruded. The nuns had until midnight to leave the monastery. In Qiqihar, temperatures below freezing prevail at this time.
The sisters informed Bishop Wei Jingyi. On December 19, demolition work continued. Construction crews expanded doors, windows, and window sills. Meanwhile, the bishop and some priests and faithful were seeking to inquire with the authorities.
The monastery building, according to the authorities, was illegally built and houses illegal religious gatherings. The monastic community belongs to the faithful Underground Church and not to the Patriotic Association. Bishop Wei Jingyi is also recognized by the Pope, but not by the Communist government, even though, according to AsiaNews, he seeks "a good relationship with the authorities.”
Believers think that the action serves to put pressure on the sister convent to submit to government control as an officially registered community.
Bishop Wei Jingyi announced this morning that a new shelter for the sisters could be found. They hope to continue to use the chapel in the largely destroyed monastery.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Picture: AsiaNews
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are subject to deletion if they are not germane. I have no problem with a bit of colourful language, but blasphemy or depraved profanity will not be allowed. Attacks on the Catholic Faith will not be tolerated. Comments will be deleted that are republican (Yanks! Note the lower case 'r'!), attacks on the legitimacy of Pope Francis as the Vicar of Christ (I know he's a material heretic and a Protector of Perverts, and I definitely want him gone yesterday! However, he is Pope, and I pray for him every day.), the legitimacy of the House of Windsor or of the claims of the Elder Line of the House of France, or attacks on the legitimacy of any of the currently ruling Houses of Europe.