Some Catholics Don’t Share Pope’s Optimism on China
Speaking in the northern Italian city of Pordenone this Saturday, Pope Francis declared his high hopes for warming relations with Beijing. China cut off formal relations with the Vatican in 1951, and...
View ArticleChina Frees Canadian Held for Over Two Years [Updated]
Kevin Garratt, the Canadian citizen who was detained in China on August 4, 2014 along with his wife Julia Dawn Garratt, has at last reunited with his family in Canada after being deported by Chinese...
View ArticleVatican’s Ordination Deal With Beijing Draws Criticism
Relations between the Vatican and China have been uneasy since the CCP took charge of the country in 1949. Beijing broke off diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1951, and in 1957 established the...
View Article“Christian Theme Park” in Changsha Irks Neo-Maoists
A “Christian theme park” in Hunan, the home province of Mao Zedong, is drawing intense criticism from some Chinese web users. The “theme park” recently opened in Changsha—Mao Zedong’s stomping grounds...
View ArticleReligious Repression and Revival in China
U.S.-based democracy and human rights advocacy group Freedom House this week released the report “The Battle for China’s Spirit: Religious Revival, Repression, and Resistance Under Xi Jinping,” a close...
View ArticleSurveillance Cameras Installed in Churches
Churches in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, a heavily Christian area, have been required to install surveillance cameras in- and outside their buildings. Alice Yan at The South China Morning Post reports: An...
View ArticleChina Lashes Out at U.S. After Religious Freedom Report
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson yesterday delivered public remarks from Washington to mark the release of the State Department’s 2016 International Religious Freedom Report. The report, which...
View Article“Pope Francis Does Not Understand the CCP”
The Chinese government’s unauthorized appointment of Catholic bishops has been a major point of contention between Beijing and the Vatican. To reconnect with Catholics in the country, Pope Francis has...
View ArticleU.N. Condemns Political Detentions in China
The Guardian’s Benjamin Haas reported on Friday on an unreleased U.N. Human Rights Council report condemning China’s treatment of three political prisoners, church leader Hu Shigen and lawyers Zhou...
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Minitrue: Do Not Report Christmas-related News
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source. Media...
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Minitrue 2017: December—Internet Conference, Xmas
This series is a month-by-month recap of censorship instructions issued to the media by government authorities in 2017, and then leaked and distributed online. The names of issuing bodies have been...
View ArticlePope Francis Likely to Sign Deal on Chinese Bishops
According to a Vatican source, a deal between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China is ready, and could be signed by Pope Francis in the coming months. This news...
View ArticleCardinal Rebukes Vatican-China Deal
The Vatican and China have held ongoing talks in recent years over the status of the appointment of bishops in the country. A breakthrough was made this month with the Vatican poised to strike a deal...
View ArticleChina Cracks Down on Online Bible Sales
At The New York Times, Ian Johnson reports that Beijing has closed a loophole that allowed online retailers to sell Bibles, the latest in a series of government regulations aimed at enhancing state...
View ArticleChina Continues Crackdown on House Churches
Officials in Beijing have shut down Zion church, one of the city’s largest Protestant “house” churches, for operating without a license. Authorities sealed off the church and confiscated printed...
View ArticleVatican to Sign Deal with China Amid Crackdown on Religion
The Chinese government has intensified its crackdown on religion as President Xi Jinping seeks to instil party loyalty above all else. The forced closure of Beijing’s Zion church earlier this month...
View ArticlePolitical Demands Highlight Pressure on Religion
As part of the Chinese government’s national campaign to “Sinicize” religion, authorities are imposing new political demands on Tibetan Buddhists, requiring select monks and nuns in the Tibet...
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Minitrue: No Reports on Chengdu Church Crackdown
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source. All...
View ArticleChurches Under Pressure Ahead of Christmas
Christmas celebration is coming under increasing official scrutiny in mainland China as the government tightens religious controls. Authorities in Langfang, Hebei issued a notice on December 15...
View ArticleHow the State Is Co-opting Religion in China
Religious controls have tightened considerably under the Xi administration. A deepening religious crackdown has led to the mass persecution of Muslim minorities and ongoing efforts to contain the rapid...
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