Human Rights Watch Reports Increased Pressure on Underground Catholics in China
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report detailing intensified pressure by Chinese authorities on underground Catholic communities to merge with the state-controlled official church. The report highlights tightened surveillance and travel restrictions imposed on China's estimated 12 million Catholics as part of a decade-long campaign to ensure religious loyalty to the Communist Party. Despite a 2018 agreement between the Vatican and Beijing aimed at easing tensions regarding bishop appointments, HRW asserts that repression against underground clergy and worshippers is escalating. Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at HRW, urged Pope Leo XIV to review the agreement and demand an end to persecution. The findings are based on interviews with individuals outside China who possess firsthand knowledge of the situation, as HRW researchers are barred from entering the country. Neither the Vatican nor China’s Foreign Ministry provided immediate comments on the report. The article underscores the ongoing divide between the underground church loyal to Rome and the official state-sanctioned institution, reflecting broader concerns about religious freedom violations in China.
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Human Rights Watch Reports Increased Pressure on Underground Catholics in China
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report detailing intensified pressure by Chinese authorities on underground Catholic communities to merge with the state-controlled official church. The report highlights tightened surveillance and travel restrictions imposed on China's estimated 12 million Catholics as part of a decade-long campaign to ensure religious loyalty to the Communist Party. Despite a 2018 agreement between the Vatican and Beijing aimed at easing tensions regarding bishop appointments, HRW asserts that repression against underground clergy and worshippers is escalating. Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at HRW, urged Pope Leo XIV to review the agreement and demand an end to persecution. The findings are based on interviews with individuals outside China who possess firsthand knowledge of the situation, as HRW researchers are barred from entering the country. Neither the Vatican nor China’s Foreign Ministry provided immediate comments on the report. The article underscores the ongoing divide between the underground church loyal to Rome and the official state-sanctioned institution, reflecting broader concerns about religious freedom violations in China.
AP News