Religious policy in China in 2025
The year that just ended saw China further tighten its bureaucratic control over religions. The idea that the country’s interests must come before religion is growing stronger. This includes a “fight” against religious education for minors. Following an unscheduled visit to the Vatican by the Abbot of Saholin, new regulations are expected on issuing passports for members of the clergy. Mainland China has come 99 Catholic bishops: 80 in the official Church, 10 in the underground Church, and nine irregular.
Last year saw the authorities focus on religious policy. This is evident in the report prepared every year by Fr Sergio Ticozzi, a PIME missionary in Hong Kong and a keen observer of developments in China. Some extensive excerpts from his report follow.
1. Official religious policies and legislation
– 4-11 March: Two Chinese government bodies, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CCPPC, with some 2,000 delegates) and the National People's Congress (NPC, with some 3,000 delegates) held the third session of their 14th assembly, from 4 to 10 March, and 5 to 11 March, respectively.
The CPPCC delegates included 11 Catholics, 10 bishops and one priest (Fr Wu Jianlin, deputy general secretary of the Chinese Catholic Church, later appointed auxiliary bishop of Shanghai). Two bishops, Joseph Huang Bingzhang of Shantou and Fang Jianping of Tangshan, were the Catholic delegates to the NPC.
Regarding ethnic minorities and religions, Premier Li Qiang said in his report on government work: “We adhere to the Party's basic orientation on religious work, we systematically promote the sinicisation of religions in the country, and we strengthen the religious affairs administration in accordance with the law.”
Strengthening the religious affairs administration to enforce the law was not emphasised in last year's report.
On 11 March 2025, the two central bodies of the Catholic Church in China, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the Bishops' Conference of the Chinese Catholic Church (BCCCC) – also known as "Yihui Yituan" (一會一團), literally "One Association and One Conference" – held a general meeting of their entire staff to study and pass on the spirit of the two national sessions.
– 24 April: The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its regular consultative forum on the topic of "Improving the Role of Law in the Administration of Religious Affairs." Bishop Li Shan of Beijing was frank in admitting that there are some unresolved problems in the process of democratic governance of the Catholic Church. He suggested encouraging the establishment of grassroots patriotic Catholic groups and improving the system and working mechanisms. Expert groups and specialists should also be created, with a specific political status and awareness of their political role.
The official message is that "by adhering to a comprehensive and rigorous administration, the Catholic community should firmly understand that 'the state is greater than religion, the law of the nation is greater than the rules of the Church, and Catholics are first and foremost citizens.'"
– 1 May: New regulations on religious activities by foreigners come into force.
– 8 September: Publication of the "Opinions on the Prevention and Management of Religious Propagation Activities Targeting Minors" (防范和治理向未成年人传教问题的意见) by the Steering Committee of the United Front Work Department under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The following are the most significant steps:
1. Strengthen and improve political education in schools, consistently pursue the use of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era to educate and educate students... In school education and activities, emphasise education in fundamental socialist values, strengthen dialectical materialism, education in historical materialism, and emphasise education in atheism...
2. Impose a strict ban on any organisation or individual to prevent them from spreading religion in schools, attracting followers, organising religious activities, establishing religious associations, or wearing religious symbols...
3. Religious venues may not organise training courses for minors, spiritual training camps, summer and winter camps, psychological counselling and guidance, friendship gatherings and celebrations, or cultural activities... Prevent minors from entering religious venues to participate in religious activities...
Other points highlighted include: increasing the growth of "model families", and strengthening ideological guidance for families who believe in religion.
– 16 September: Publication of the Code of Conduct for Online Clergy (宗教教职人员网络行为规范), which must also be respected by Chinese living abroad and foreigners.
– 29 September: Xi Jinping delivered a speech on religious policy at the 22nd politburo meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The aim of the meeting was to explore ways to advance the policy of sinicising religions and provide practical guidance for religious workers to adapt to socialist society.
Xi Jinping stated that since the 18th CPC Congress in 2012, the Party has given religious affairs a prominent role in state administration. The main achievements have been the commitment to the sinicisation of religions in China, the improvement of institutional mechanisms for religious work, and the strengthening of the role of the law in this area.
According to Xi, the sinicisation of religions is inevitable under the leadership of the CPC, and it is therefore important to guide religious communities to establish “correct views” on the Chinese nation and history, with the aim of fostering a stronger sense of cultural identity with Chinese civilisation.
It also emphasised the need to improve relevant laws and policies, deepen legal education, and promote rigorous law enforcement.
Regarding the practical treatment of religions in general, although China does not ban religious belief, it maintains some of the world's strictest controls on organised religions, placing rigid limits on their practice, especially by unofficial groups, including foreigners living in the country.
Towards the underground Catholic Church, it maintains its previous policy of comprehensive control over the activities of underground bishops, particularly Bishop Peter Shao Zhumen of Wenzhou, restricting the religious education of minors under 18.
Official restrictions have primarily targeted the activities of Protestant house churches. In September, the authorities announced a new code of conduct for religious operating online, allowing only authorised groups to hold online sermons.
This measure was widely interpreted as an attempt to limit the online services of underground churches. In mid-October, Chinese authorities launched what has been described as a widespread crackdown in at least 10 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
According to the Church, pastors, leaders, and members of other communities have also been arrested.
Regarding Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese authorities have carried out several official interventions to assert their right to appoint the Dalai Lama's successor.
A series of police raids involving dozens of members in various locations, reported just days before Christmas, serves as a stark reminder of the strict regulation of religion in China.
2. Official Activities of the Catholic Church
– 7 February: The Yihui Yituan launched a public competition for writing homilies on Sinicisation.
– 8 August: The third meeting of the Supervisory Committee of the Catholic Church of China was held in Tangshan, Hebei Province.
The chief supervisor, Bishop Zhan Silu, presented the official report, noting the visit by Li Ganjie, director of the Central United Front Department, to the national religious organisations in Beijing and his speech on “Strengthening legal control in the Religious Affairs Administration”.
The meeting also reviewed the report on the Yihui Yituan’s work in the first half of 2025 and adopted the supervisory committee’s work plan.
– In November, the Yihui Yituan published the implementation plan for the campaign "Study the Regulations, Observe Discipline, Cultivate Virtue, and Build a Good Image" (学法规、守戒律、重修为、树形象) for Catholic communities.
Subsequently, the official website of the Catholic Church reported on the frequent meetings held by various Catholic institutions and dioceses to study legislation related to religion, which have partially replaced previous meetings on sinicisation.
These were accompanied by the publication of participants’ personal views expressed on this occasion, like that by Bishop Cui Qingqi of Wuhan on 17 December:
Studying the Regulations, Clarifying the Boundaries: Strengthening the Legal Foundations for Harmony and Stability in the Catholic Church. During this training initiative, I seriously studied the recently revised Religious Affairs Regulations (宗教事务条例), along with the supporting measures and detailed rules, as well as the Church's internal regulations, such as the Practical Opinions on Implementing the Exercise of Total and Strict Governance over the Catholic Church in China (中国天主教全面从严治教实施意见). Through an in-depth analysis of representative cases, I gained a deeper understanding of religious laws and regulations. Some religious officials previously held an ambiguous view that "doctrine takes precedence over rules," neglecting the universal binding force and coercive power of the law.
They mistakenly believed that "freedom of religious belief" is equivalent to "freedom of religious activity," free from legal constraints. Through this study, I clearly realised that, while freedom of religious belief is a fundamental right guaranteed to citizens by the Constitution, the exercise of any right must be subject to the condition that it does not harm national interests, the public good, or the legitimate rights and interests of others. Freedom of religious belief is no exception.
– On the morning of 16 December, the ninth joint meeting of the leaders of the Tenth Session of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Bishops' Conference of the Chinese Catholic Church was held in Guangyuan, Sichuan. The meeting was chaired by Bishop Shen Bin, with Bishop Li Shan delivering the closing remarks.
The meeting reviewed the report on the work accomplished in 2025 and the Catholic Church's main commitments in 2026. It deliberated and approved internal regulations, including the Administrative Measures for Appointing Key Clerical Positions in Places of Worship in China, the Code of Conduct for the Clergy of the Catholic Church in China, and the Provisional Regulations on the Standardisation of Passport and Travel Document Management for Catholic Clergy Travelling Abroad (this on a Trial Basis) 《关于规范管理天主教教职人员出国（境）证照收存的规定（试行）》 (This follows the visit to the Vatican by Rev Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Shaolin Monastery, in February 2025], documents to be submitted to the deliberation of the seventh session of the tenth permanent committee of the body “An Association and a Conference”.
3. Bishops in China
In 2025, China saw four episcopal ordinations, a few transfers, and some changes to diocesan boundaries, as well as the official recognition of bishops by the authorities – all of which occurred pursuant to the Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Holy See.
Two underground bishops, never officially recognised by Beijing, also passed away.
After all these developments, the total number of bishops in China stands today at 105, 99 in mainland China and six in Hong Kong and Macau.
Of the 99 bishops in mainland China, 80 belong to the official Church, 10 are in the underground Church, and nine are irregular. The fate of three bishops remains unknown. Some others claim to be bishops without proof.
* PIME missionary in Hong Kong
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