China’s Sinicization of Religion Deepens

The ChiComs will not rest until anything that resembles Catholicism is destroyed. "Sinicization is nothing less than the complete subordination—or better yet, the indoctrination."

From Crisis

By Fr Mario Alexis Portella, JD, JCD

The Sino-Vatican deal continues to empower the CCP to subjugate Catholicism in China under Marxist ideology.

On September 29, 2025, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping demanded that the pace of Sinicization of religions—that of bringing them in line with the principles of Maoism, which sought the total eradication of religion through the destruction of thousands of houses of worship and the imprisonment, torture, and murder of religious leaders and laypersons—be stepped up. 

The “Red Emperor” explicitly demanded an “acceleration” of this process, describing it as essential to promote “religious meekness, ethnic harmony, social harmony, and long-term national stability” toward the five state-sanctioned religions: Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Protestantism, and Taoism.[i]

Sinicization is nothing less than the complete subordination—or better yet, the indoctrination—of the members ascribed to the aforementioned religious groups to the CCP’s political agenda and Marxist vision for religion. Indeed, in a speech at an ad hoc session of the CCP’s Politburo, Jinping appealed for “‘doctrines, rules, management systems, rituals and customs, norms of behaviour’ to embody ‘Chinese characteristics’ and adapt ‘to the needs of the times.’” He called for “‘strict enforcement’ of regulations and the strengthening of policy directives.” 

“We must lead religious figures and the masses of believers,” the Chinese autocrat  continued, “to firmly establish a correct view of the state, history, nation, culture and religion, and to constantly strengthen the ‘five identities,’ so that they willingly participate in the construction of Chinese-style modernisation.” 

The “five identities” to which he refers are identification with the “great motherland” (so-called patriotism), with the Chinese nation, with Chinese culture, with the CCP, and with socialism with Chinese characteristics.

This has been materialized in state-controlled norms to incorporate CCP ideology into every facet of religious life, which has subsequently brutally abolished religious elements that conflict with Beijing’s political and policy agenda with ultranationalist, or rather, communist overtones. 

At the center of the CCP’s institutional control of religion are state-controlled national religious organizations, often referred to as “patriotic religious associations,” like the Buddhist Association of China (BAC), the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and China Christian Council (CCC), and the infamous Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC).

Underground Catholics refute the self-proclaimed spiritual rule of the government-backed CCPA. Instead, they remain obedient to the sole legitimate authority, the Church of Rome. The provisional agreement of 2018 between Beijing and the Holy See, in which the latter recognizes the supreme authority of the former to appoint bishops—the Bishop of Rome merely approves—has been a dilemma for such Chinese faithful. 

The General Secretary’s statements should not have come as a surprise. For only two weeks prior, on September 15, China’s National Religious Affairs Administration (NRAA) promulgated a new, unprecedentedly detailed text to extend the CCP’s control over online religious activities. It was specifically aimed, though not limited, at the Catholic Church for two reasons. 

First, Catholicism has both a structured and systematic theology that promotes Western values, that of inalienable natural rights, which conflicts with the aims of the CCP’s body politic. Second, and perhaps more salient, Catholics, unlike the other religions, have a supreme leader who is also a head of state: the pope. And, as the late leader of the Republic of China—i.e., Taiwan—Chiang Kai-Shek once said: “The sky cannot have two suns.” 

The NRAA’s document, titled “Regulations on the Online Behavior of Religious Clergy,”  sets forth a stringent structure stipulating what religious personnel may and may not do online. Article 3 of the regulation states: 

Religious clergy should uphold the core socialist values, follow the principle of independence and self-management of our country’s religions, adhere to the Sinicization of our country’s religions, actively guide religions to adapt to socialist society, and promote religious, social, and ethnic harmony when using the Internet. 

Only platforms operated by religious organizations (temples, churches, seminaries) registered by the CCP, with an official license to disseminate religious content online, may be used for preaching or religious teaching. This rules out any personal social media accounts, live streams, groups on apps like WeChat, or unofficial forums from having any religious instruction or content. 

In addition, a priest, for example, must see to it that he is not seen to so-called take advantage of his clerical status or his notoriety to increase his number of subscribers. Furthermore, any publicity granted to foreign religious websites is also prohibited. Thus, it would be a criminal offense to share, for example, videos of the pope’s Wednesday general audiences, which are broadcast on the Vatican website.

While the Roman authorities continue to push an Ostpolitik engagement with China with the hope of improving better relations with the CCP, let us not forget the cry of millions upon millions who continue to be deprived of the freedoms we cherish in our democratic and free society, to say nothing of those who have been persecuted for expressing his or her conscience against communist oppression.

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[i] According to the 2023 U.S. International Religious Freedom Report, it is estimated that the number of religious adherents is anywhere from about 350 million to over 850 million of the country’s 1.4 billion population. In 2021, the U.S. government estimated that 18 percent of the population are Buddhist, including Tibetan Buddhist; 5 percent are Christian—Catholic and Protestant; and 2 percent are Muslim. Other significant religious traditions include Taoism, Falun Gong, and folk religious practices.

Pictured: Venerable Matteo Ricci,SJ, one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions.