Authorities in China detain a Catholic nun for organising a pilgrimage, as the government tightens surveillance and ideological control over religion.
Newsroom, (2025‑11‑02, Gaudium Press) – Authorities in China detain a Catholic nun for organizing a pilgrimage, as the government tightens surveillance and ideological control over religion.
The government of Xi Jinping is expanding its control over religion in the country through surveillance of places of worship and the imposition of communist ideology.
A 40‑year‑old nun has been held for more than three months by the Chinese dictatorial regime. The reason for her detention, belonging to the community of the Missionárias do Sagrado Coração located south of Shanghai, was her organising and leading a pilgrimage to Europe.
A religious pilgrimage deemed illegal
According to the news portal ‘China Aid’, the nun Xiang Qiaoyun was in charge of a caravan of 20 Catholic faithful who would visit Catholic holy sites in France and Italy. The pilgrimage was scheduled for June, but the group was prevented from leaving the country and detained.
Of the 20 members of the religious caravan, 14 were released in recent months. Qiaoyun remains imprisoned under the accusation of heading this “illegal” pilgrimage. Although she complied with all legal requirements to make the trip, including obtaining visas, the Chinese dictatorship argued that the group did not declare this exit from the country as a religious activity.
An unjust and arbitrary detention
The Catholic nun stated the accusation was unjust, because by helping the faithful undertake this traditional pilgrimage she was simply fulfilling her religious duty. Xiang Qiaoyun remains in solitary confinement and may even face life imprisonment.
Although the Chinese constitution enshrines religious freedom for its citizens, in practice the dictatorial government of Xi Jinping suppresses this right each day. Moreover, the country’s government is expanding its control over religious freedom through surveillance of places of worship and the imposition of communist ideology. (EPC)
Compiled by Adele Wong.
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