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The shocking footage, shared on Twitter by one of the priests witnessing the act, shows the moment when local Communist Party chiefs use a crane to remove the last cross standing on top of the Shangqiu Catholic Church South Cathedral in the country's Henan Province.

An unidentified group are said to have burst into the church without any official documentation or notice and occupied it by securing the doors and shutting down electrical power.

Priest and nuns reported the intruders to the police in vain, as the authorities once arrived confiscated their phone and quarantined them, barring anyone from entering or leaving the church.

The removal of the crosses lasted about five hours amid protests of church staff and volunteers.