Nuns Injured in Attempt to Stop Destruction of School Building

Pictures courtesy of China Aid

Sixteen nuns were injured as they attempted to prevent the destruction of a school building in Xian on November 23.  Although the government attempted to block any information on the incident from leaving the country, Catholic sources were able to release information on the destruction of the School of the Rosary and the attack on the nuns protesting the destruction.

Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the Chinese government confiscated all church-owned property, including the School of the Rosary, which was turned into a state-run school in 1952.  In the 1980's, government policy changed and all property confiscated during the "Cultural Revolution" was to be returned to their original owners.  However, many buildings owned by the Church remained under government control.  A few years ago, the government abandoned the building and recently sold the land to a developer who intended to destroy the building.  The nuns from the Congregation of the Franciscan Sacred Heart Missionaries protested this action, claiming ownership belonged to the Catholic Church.

According to a report sent by the Xian diocese, a bulldozer began to destroy the wall of the compound on the night of November 23.  At least thirty men with sticks and matching jackets cut power to the facility and began to demolish the building.  When the nuns protested, the men turned on the women and began to beat them.  At last report, those still hospitalized included: Dong Jianian (41) who has undergone spinal cord surgery; Cheng Jing (34) who is at risk of losing her sight in one eye; Yue Xiuying (31); and Zan Hongfang (34) who suffered a fracture to her left arm.  Others continue to recover from their physical and psychological wounds.  Hundreds of Christians took to the streets of Xian on November 27 to protest the action.  To quell the protests, the city officials have offered to sell the property to the Catholic Church for 6.5 million yuan (over $932,000 CDN).  The auxiliary bishop of Xian, Dang Minyan, has agreed to discuss the issue, but many Catholics see such a transaction as illegitimate.

Pray for complete healing for those injured in this incident. Pray that Cheng Jing will not lose sight in her one eye and that Dong Jianian will fully recover from her spinal cord surgery. Ask God to grant the city officials a willingness to work toward an equitable deal with the Catholic Church.

Video reports from China, including footage of the destruction of a church building in 2003, are available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com. More information on the persecution of Christians is also available on our country report.