China Escalates Repression of Catholic Communities Under Sinicization Campaign
- Chinese authorities are increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled official church, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch on April 15, 2026.
- These developments occur a decade into the Sinicization of religion campaign initiated by President Xi Jinping in April 2016.
- Human Rights Watch reports that the 2018 Provisional Agreement Regarding the Appointment of Bishops between the Holy See and China has facilitated the repression of Catholics.
Chinese authorities are increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled official church, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch on April 15, 2026. The organization states that the government has tightened ideological control, surveillance, and travel restrictions on China’s estimated 12 million Catholics.
These developments occur a decade into the Sinicization
of religion campaign initiated by President Xi Jinping in April 2016. This policy requires religious teachings and places of worship to reflect Chinese Communist Party ideology and Han-centric Chinese culture.
Human Rights Watch reports that the 2018 Provisional Agreement Regarding the Appointment of Bishops between the Holy See and China has facilitated the repression of Catholics. The agreement, which has been renewed three times and remains valid through October 2028, allows Beijing to propose candidates for bishop whom the pope can veto.
Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that Catholics face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms. Uluyol urged Pope Leo XIV, who has been in office since May 2025, to review the agreement and press Beijing to end the intimidation of clergy, worshipers, and underground churches.
Impact on Underground Catholic Communities
Underground Catholic communities, which refuse to pledge allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, are permitted to worship only in official churches managed by the government-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
Reporting indicates that since the 2018 agreement, authorities have used arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, torture, and house arrest to pressure underground priests and bishops to join the Patriotic Association. Some underground Catholics expressed feelings of betrayal by the Vatican, suggesting the agreement provided a legal framework for the destruction of underground churches.
Specific cases of repression include the forced disappearance of James Su Zhimin, 94, and Xin Wenzhi, 63. Others, including Vincent Guo Xijin and Peter Shao Zhumin, remain under house arrest, while Augustine Cui Tai and Thaddeus Ma Daqin have been detained or restricted in their duties by government-appointed bishops.
Clergy released from detention continue to face harassment. One report describes a priest who was barred from holding a passport, sim cards, or bank accounts, leaving him with no means of survival.
Ideological Control and Surveillance
The Chinese government has intensified ideological requirements for clergy, with some locations mandating political training as often as twice a week. Priests are now required to submit their teachings for approval from relevant authorities.
In December 2023, the Patriotic Association published a five-year plan to further Sinicize Catholicism, calling for church art, rituals, governance, and doctrines to be compatible with socialist society
. In September 2025, authorities issued an Online Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals to ban the circulation of unauthorized religious content online.
Surveillance has also increased within official churches, including the installation of cameras to monitor activities. Some congregations in Henan province reportedly began requiring pre-registration for church services in 2023, with requests filtered by authorities.
Restrictions on Children and Charitable Work
Authorities have increasingly barred children from entering churches and prohibited home-based religious education. An internal document from the Central United Front Leading Group dated September 2025 instructs schools to guide students to report parents who organize home-based religious education.
The government has also targeted Catholic-run social welfare facilities. According to a source interviewed in March 2026, authorities have removed the legal status of nearly all Catholic-owned orphanages and centers for children with disabilities over the last decade, transferring the children to state institutions.
Travel Restrictions and Foreign Ties
In December 2025, the government implemented the Provisional Regulations on the Standardized Management of Exit-and-Entry Travel Documents for Catholic Clergy
. These regulations require all bishops, priests, deacons, and nuns to submit their travel documents to supervising departments, making all travel outside the mainland subject to state approval.
2025 regulations on the Administration of Foreigners’ Religious Activities in the Mainland prohibit foreigners from preaching, giving sermons, or selling religious materials without authorization. Experts suggest that foreign links are now viewed as national security issues, making the Holy See a target of persecution.
Human Rights Watch stated that these actions violate the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights to freedom of expression, association, and movement. On April 7, 2026, the organization sought comment from the Holy See and the Chinese government; neither has responded.