ROME-Thousands of Christians have gathered in the Chinese city of Wenzhou to form a human shield to protect the Sanjiang Church following demolition threats from the Communist party, Church sources say.

 This is already the second time in two weeks that Zhejiang’s Christians have united to stop the local Communist authorities from bulldozing their church, listed as an “illegal construction” by party officials, along with nine other places of worship in the province.   

 Located in the coastal Chinese province of Zhejiang, the city known as “China’s Jerusalem” is home to thousands of self-started churches and a million Protestants. The restrictions imposed on Christian worship by the atheist state prohibit all forms of Christianity other than the officially approved “Three Self Patriotic Movement,” controlled and monitored by the government.

 Despite the claims by the local authorities, the Sanjiang Church is an officially-sanctioned place of worship, and is therefore entitled to legal protection under the Chinese constitution.

 "All the lessons of history demonstrate to China the futility of forcing Christians to choose between faith and country,” said Luca Volontè, Chairman of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, in support of the initiative to defend the church in Wenzhou. “After bold statements from Western leaders - including David Cameron and Angela Merkel - on the duty to defend Christians from persecution, the international community cannot abandon the Christians of Whenzou to this very public campaign of coercion and suppression."