The authorities in China appear to have reacted badly to claims that the country was on course to become a Christian state.
A number of statues depicting scenes from the Bible, including the crucifixion, were destroyed; others were removed or sealed off from view at a Catholic pilgrimage site, nicknamed China’s Jerusalem.
Some 50 government workers used bricks to conceal statues representing moments from the Passion of Christ. Other statues were removed by cranes.
Two days later, authorities oversaw the razing of a Protestant church in the same city. Initially the building had been surrounded by thousands of Chinese Christians who had heard of the demolition plans, but the authorities eventually levelled the church.
Believers fear that other churches will now be targetted.
Officials claim their actions are not an attack on Christianity, but instead are aimed at illegal constructions “including factories and Buddhist temples”. A state-controlled newspaper claimed the demolition of illegal buildings would continue.
