China’s “Sinicization” Drive Deepens Pressure on Catholic Communities

China intensifies control over Catholics, tightening surveillance and restricting worship as pressure mounts on underground churches.

Newsroom (01/05/2026 Gaudium Press ) China’s campaign to reshape religion under state ideology has entered its second decade with mounting consequences for the country’s Catholic population. According to new findings from Human Rights Watch, authorities are intensifying pressure on underground Catholic communities while expanding surveillance, ideological control, and restrictions on worship across both unofficial and state-sanctioned churches.

The developments come nearly eight years after the 2018 provisional agreement between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of bishops—an accord that was intended to ease tensions but is now widely seen by critics as enabling greater state control over Catholic life in China.

Under President Xi Jinping’s “Sinicization” campaign, launched in April 2016, religious practice is expected to align with Chinese Communist Party doctrine and reflect what officials describe as “Chinese characteristics.” In practice, this has meant tighter oversight of clergy, increased regulation of religious teaching, and a steady erosion of independent religious expression.

Human Rights Watch reports that Chinese authorities have used the Vatican agreement as leverage to compel underground Catholic communities—those loyal to the pope but not registered with the state—to join the government-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Members of these communities have faced detention, enforced disappearances, house arrest, and other forms of coercion.

“The agreement has left many underground Catholics with no viable alternative,” one individual told researchers after their church was demolished and fellow congregants detained. Another described the policy as an “intelligent weapon” used to dismantle independent churches.

The Chinese government recognizes only five religions and requires all Catholic worship to occur within state-run institutions. Those who refuse to comply, particularly underground clergy, remain the most vulnerable. Several bishops have been detained or disappeared, while others have been pressured into state recognition.

Criticism has also emerged from within Catholic circles. Some believers report feeling abandoned by the Vatican, particularly as successive renewals of the 2018 agreement have not prevented Beijing from unilaterally appointing bishops. Since taking office in May 2025, Pope Leo XIV has approved multiple such appointments, despite concerns over violations of the agreement’s terms.

Beyond the underground church, state control has expanded across officially recognized Catholic institutions. Clergy in some regions are now required to undergo political training sessions as frequently as twice a week, while sermons and teachings must receive prior approval from authorities.

New regulations have also curtailed religious activities. Churches in certain provinces require attendees to register in advance, while minors are increasingly barred from entering places of worship. In some cases, even private religious education within families has been discouraged or prohibited.

Surveillance measures have intensified as well. Cameras have been installed inside churches, and authorities have reportedly altered service times to limit attendance. Some believers have resorted to disguising prayer gatherings as social events to avoid scrutiny.

Travel restrictions further illustrate the tightening grip. Regulations introduced in December 2025 require clergy to surrender travel documents and seek official permission for any trip abroad, including for personal reasons. Foreign religious engagement is also heavily restricted, with unauthorized preaching or distribution of religious materials prohibited.

Experts say these policies reflect a broader shift in how the Chinese government views religion—not as a social institution to be managed, but as a potential political risk to be controlled. The emphasis on severing ties with foreign religious entities, including the Vatican, underscores this concern.

Human Rights Watch argues that these measures violate international human rights standards, including protections for freedom of religion, expression, and movement. It has called on both the Holy See and foreign governments to take a stronger stance in urging Beijing to end what it describes as systemic persecution.

Despite repeated outreach, neither Chinese authorities nor the Vatican responded to the organization’s latest findings.

For many Catholics in China, the result is an increasingly constrained religious life. As one former worshipper described, “We started praying like we were thieves.” The long-term impact, observers warn, may be the gradual disappearance of underground Catholic communities altogether.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from HRW.org

Related Images: