After being inundated with calls and receiving a "serious threat" about its decision to remove a crucifix from its entranceway, a Quebec City hospital says the crucifix will return later today.

However, it is unclear who made that decision.

The Saint-Sacrement Hospital removed the crucifix, which is about 30 centimetres long and was tucked between two elevators, last week following a complaint from a patient.

In a news release, the hospital's administration (CHU de Québec) said it will be reinstalled "at the demand of the health ministry" by the end of the day Wednesday.

The release quotes the ministry, saying that the issue "is not about the religious neutrality of the state but about respect to the history of the hospital, its religious heritage and above all, respect and gratitude" to the nuns who founded the hospital in 1927.

But provincial Health Minister Gaétan Barrette's office said contrary to the news release, the ministry did not demand that the crucifix be returned to the wall.

A spokesperson said the ministry advised the hospital administration that there was no legal basis for removing the crucifix, and that the administrators simply listened to the public outcry over the decision.

Barrette said Tuesday he wouldn't be getting involved in the debate because his "role as minister is not to manage what is on the walls of Quebec institutions."

Local man arrested

On Tuesday, hospital officials said they received a "serious threat" over the decision to remove the crucfix.

In a news release, Quebec City police spokesperson Const. David Poitras said a man in his 50s was arrested Tuesday in connection with threats made toward the hospital.

The man, who was not identified and has not been charged, is from Quebec City.

He was released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

The file has been turned over to Quebec's director of criminal and penal prosecutions for consideration.

A change of heart

As recently as yesterday, the hospital stood by its decision to remove the crucifix.

It cited the "religious neutrality of the state" and a legal brief by Quebec's human rights commission as backup, but has been inundated with criticism ever since the crucifix was removed last week.

The Roman Catholic archdiocese in Quebec City has been leading the charge, with Quebec City's archbishop, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, calling the move "a lack of sensitivity towards our people and their history."

Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix criticized the hospital's decision to remove the crucifix. (CBC)

Premier Philippe Couillard said Wednesday there's no reason to remove the crucifix from the hospital walls, saying that he has heard from people from "other cultures" that seeing a crucifix doesn't bother them.

When it is reinstalled, the crucifix will be accompanied by a note that will explain its historical significance and heritage value, the administration said.

The note was a suggestion from the archdiocese. It will be temporary at first and eventually replaced by a plaque that will be permanent.

Officials at the hospital said it has received at least 600 phone calls about the decision to remove the religious symbol.

A petition opposing the removal has been signed by thousands of people.​