China and the Catholic Church: A Rocky Relationship
The growth of the communist regime in China has led to the persecution of millions of Christians.
By Arthur Quayle
Persecution: hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs; oppression.
Officially, 75% of China’s 1.4 billion citizens are atheists, the highest collection of atheists in the world. However, unofficially, China’s population may be more religious than reported. The State recognises five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Daoism (a traditional Chinese religion), Islam, and Protestantism. The practice of any other faith is formally prohibited. While these five religions are permitted to exist within China, that does not mean they are not persecuted all the same.
CCP and The Catholic Church
Fundamental principles of Communism can offer some explanation for why religion is met with such hostility by China’s ruling party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Communist ideology is ultimately based on a system that rejects authority on the belief that it sours human nature, despite the form it has taken in China. As a result of this belief, the Church and the State are the two pillars of authority that Communism seeks to…
