The freedom of Catholics in China

Translated by Maria Maddalena Zizzo

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) guarantee the freedom of religion or belief, either individual or collective, in public or in private. This disposition seems weak in China, where the agreement signed with the Holy See has only increased pressure on the Catholic community. There should be about 12 million Chinese Catholics, who in the last few years have faced real persecution, ranging from surveillance and ideological control to restrictions on freedom of movement.

President Xi Jinping’s role

In 2013 the current president Xi Jinping came to power, and the goal of his religious policy has been that of “sinicization”. China is atheist, but officially recognises five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Directive No.19 of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of 1982, opened the way to a new regime of ‘state protection’ over religious movements, subjecting the previously mentioned religions to controls, in order to ensure that they remained confined to the spiritual sphere, without enlarging to the political one. In accordance with this directive, in 2018 an agreement between China and the Holy See was signed; it regulated the procedures and division of authority for the appointment of bishops, a decision that had caused tensions between the two parties: according to the agreement - which was never published – the local Catholic community and the Chinese Episcopal conference recommend the bishops, but the Pope has the final right of approval or veto. This direct control allows China to apply strong pressure on the local Catholic communities.

State interference

The problem arises when China allows Catholics to practice their religion freely only in churches that are under the administration of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association: Catholic churches that refuse to take the oath to the Chinese Communist Party are at potential risk of persecution and can define themselves as underground Catholics. The agreement with the Holy See has been renewed three times and it is going to be valid until 2028. Yet, no Pope has ever exercised the veto power, as China has unilaterally violated the terms of the agreement, appointing bishops without the Pope’s approval. Beijing applies pressure on Catholic communities that are loyal to the Pope through arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and by placing bishops under house arrest; this information is collected by Human Rights Watch, on the basis of official documents and the consultation of field experts, who operate outside China, since the Chinese government does not authorize independent researchers in the country and punishes those who engage with foreign media.

Restrictions and control

Apart from the ideological control, the Chinese government has increased surveillance in Catholic churches, by installing surveillance cameras to monitor their activities, by imposing odd hours for religious ceremonies in order to discourage attendance, by requesting an authorization to take part in religious practices in some areas, and by limiting children’s access to religious celebrations. Chinese authorities closely monitor bishops’ movements and actions, especially regarding foreign churches, with which they engage and which they visit: in December 2025 the government issued a regulation setting out the rules for Catholic clergy travelling in and out of the country, which requires them to request their travel documents from the relevant supervisory authorities. This is accompanied by another regulation issued in 2025, which restricts foreigners from disseminating religious ideas, delivering sermons, and producing or selling religious items. In summary, the dissemination of any religious material, not controlled by the state, is prohibited.

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