A woman holding a rosary prays at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Beijing. Photo: CNS Catholics in China are concerned about a directive from the country’s Communist government asking priests to “preach on patriotism” as a condition for reopening liturgical services.
The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the Chinese Catholic educational administration committee of Zhejiang province jointly issued a notice on the resumption of activities.
“Religious places that meet the conditions of epidemic prevention will resume services,” it said while adding the patriotism requirement.
Fr Liu of Hebei said that the requirement to teach patriotism is “wrong”.
“As members of the universal Catholic Church,” he said, “we cannot accept and glorify what Communists consider patriotic education.”
Jacob Chung, a Wenzhou parishioner, said the government’s move “has seriously interfered in the internal affairs of religion”.
One other parishioner said the Chinese government was forcing religious leaders to add patriotism and sinicization as part of religious teaching.
Amid the ongoing trade war with other countries and an economic slowdown, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “is afraid of a counter-revolution. So they want people to hold on to patriotism.”
He added that the CCP wants to “suppress and transform” the Church.
Religious activities have been gradually resuming in China since June 2 in Sichuan province, Shaanxi and Shanghai after the Joint Conference of National Religious Organisations held a video conference on May 30 about plans to reopen religious places.
The notice asked churches to avoid non-essential religious activities, reduce the number of participants and shorten religious liturgies.
In some provinces such as Sichuan, Christians were asked to seek authorities’ permission to resume religious classes.
Philip, a Shanghai parishioner, said that local churches plan to reopen on June 13.
The Shanghai Diocese has issued a circular limiting the number of people attending services and outlining preventive measures against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Paul Fang from Wenzhou Diocese in Zhejiang province said parishioners have been looking forward to the resumption of Masses.