A recent report underscores the relentless attempts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to assert absolute dominance over the Catholic Church and other religious groups within its territory.
The CCP is systematically eradicating religious components that contradict its political and regulatory objectives. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) published this analysis last week, asserting that the CCP's "sinicization of religion" policy is a flagrant violation of the internationally recognized right to religious freedom. In this context, sinicization refers to the process of aligning religious beliefs with the CCP's political agenda and its Marxist interpretation of religion.
As reported by the USCIRF, Chinese officials have commanded the removal of crosses from churches and substituted images of Christ and the Virgin Mary with portraits of President Xi Jinping. They have also expurgated religious texts, compelled clergy to propagate CCP ideology, and insisted on the display of Party-promoting slogans in churches.
To subordinate religions to the Party, the government mandates religious groups to register with various "patriotic religious associations" and their local branches. For Catholic churches, this implies registration with the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which is officially governed by Chinas State Administration for Religious Affairs and the United Front Work Department of the CCP.
Those practicing religion outside of state-sanctioned associations are deemed part of a "cult" and are subject to China's anti-cult laws. This policy has resulted in widespread arrests and incarceration, with authorities invoking anti-cult provisions against underground Catholics who reject the authority of government-endorsed clergy.
USCIRF Commissioner Asif Mahmood stated that the CCP perceives underground Catholics as a threat because they refuse to acknowledge the government's alleged authority to dictate religious doctrine and regulate religious affairs. He clarified that while some Catholics opt to worship legally within the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, they are not genuinely free due to the stringent control mechanisms imposed by the CCP.
The report also criticizes a confidential agreement between the Vatican and the CCP in 2018, intended to foster cooperation in the appointment of bishops. However, the CCP has reportedly unilaterally installed bishops aligned with the Party, disregarding Vatican approval. Religious leaders who resist often vanish, including bishops like Peter Shao Zhumin and Augustine Cui Tai.
Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, cautioned that the CCP is attempting to disconnect the Catholic Church in China from the Pope, specifically targeting bishops due to their crucial role in maintaining communion with the Vatican. Shea further noted that the Vatican-China agreement has failed to safeguard religious freedom, resulting in severe repression and marking one of the most oppressive periods for Chinese Catholics since the Mao era.
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