Hong Kong cardinal, Beijing archbishop praise sinicization

November 07, 2026

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, S.J., of Hong Kong, and the archbishop of Beijing spoke at a conference marking the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the first native Chinese bishops. The two Chinese prelates praised sinicization, described by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom as “the complete subordination of religious groups to the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party’s] political agenda.”

The Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for First Evangelization organized the conference, in collaboration with the Pontifical Urbaniana University. The conference, entitled “The Face of the Universal Church in China: 100 Years Since the Consecration of the First Chinese Bishops,” took place on November 5. Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to conference participants.

Cardinal Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, said that “the communion which certainly exists today in its essential form between the Pope and all the bishops of the People’s Republic of China may, through a gradual and shared journey, find ever more concrete ways to express and strengthen itself.”

“Under President Xi, there is the sinicization of religion,” said Cardinal Chow. “Actually, sinicization happens in different domains of life in China, not just religion, and definitely not just for the Catholic Church. It doesn’t target the Catholic Church, but all religions. It’s about aligning [religion] with the Chinese Communist Party’s ideology, socialist values and the spirit of patriotism.”

“Religions and other sectors should have that patriotic spirit,” he added. “For President Xi, all religions in China should be aligned with Chinese politics and culture, and that’s the only way to keep religion in China stable.”

Chinese Catholics “embraced the newborn socialist China and set out on the path of development of loving the country and loving the Church, of independence, self-governance and self-administration,” added Archbishop Li, as he linked synodality and sinicization:

Just as the most recent Synod of Bishops promoted “walking together,” the affairs of the Church in China are entirely managed jointly by Chinese clergy, women religious and the faithful, and all of the Church’s holy works are flourishing. The Church in China, which was once constrained by colonial forms, has an especially unforgettable experience of this. This is precisely the meaning of the sinicization of the Church that we propose today.

 

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Further information:

• 100 years after historic consecrations, forum examines Chinese Catholic identity, unity with Rome (OSV News, 11/6/26)
• Chinese bishops praise sinicization as synodality at conference in Rome (The Pillar, 11/5/26)