The Yibin Catholic Diocese of the Shian Province announced in a press release earlier this month that it had led all of its priests, nuns, and “heads of grassroots patriotic associations” on a “Red Tour to Express Gratitude to the Party.”
News of the tour comes shortly after the Vatican announced it would renew its agreement with China on the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country for another four years.
The delegation of Chinese Catholics visited several memorial sites associated with Chinese Communist Party history, such as the Nanchang Aug. 1 Uprising Memorial Hall, the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, the Red Army Mint, and the former site of the Lushan Conference.
“By listening to the explanation of revolutionary deeds on the spot, watching patriotic educational documentaries, and offering wreaths for revolutionary martyrs,” the release said the delegation was able to “further enhance the recognition of the great motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the Communist Party of China (CCP), and socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
A group led by Bishop Peter Luo Xuegang of the Yibin Diocese also visited several Chinese Catholic churches “in order to promote the process of Sinicization.” Luo was ordained as a bishop in the Yibin Diocese in November 2011 with the Holy See’s blessing.
Notably, an excommunicated bishop who had been ordained without papal approval participated in the ordination Mass despite being ordered not to do so in a move that highlighted strained diplomatic relations between the Chinese government and the Vatican.
Nina Shea, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and director of the Center for Religious Freedom, told CNA that although Luo was made a bishop with the Vatican’s approval, he appears to have the support of the Communist Party.
“Since the China-Vatican agreement, Chinese authorities are pressing all bishops to join the association and pressing those inside it to show fervor for the party,” Shea told CNA. “This bishop is doing that and is demonstrating his embrace of the CCP’s Sinicization campaign by educating his diocese in Communist Party values and doctrines. This is one of the more extreme examples I’ve heard about.”
In the wake of the recent diplomatic agreements, the Vatican has noted several violations of terms in recent years, such as the government appointment of several bishops without Holy See approval, including one in a diocese not recognized by the Vatican.
According to Shea, the Catholic Church in China is undergoing a “transformation shaped by the CCP with Vatican acquiescence.”
“It is becoming an enthusiastic partner in the United Front, the propaganda department of the CCP, which since 2018 directly controls the Patriotic Association,” Shea said.
The Catholic Church in China has been split between the government-sanctioned Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the underground Church, which is persecuted and whose episcopal appointments are frequently not acknowledged by Chinese authorities.
The diocese in its statement noted that during the tour further dialogue was also held among the bishops and priests “on adhering to the direction of Sinicization and democratic teaching.”
The diocese lauded the event further, stating: “All members believed that this ‘Red Tour to Express Gratitude to the Party’ was full of revolutionary spirit and cultural heritage, and they benefited a lot.”
“They all expressed that in their future work, they will inherit and carry forward the fine tradition of patriotism and love for the Church,” the statement reads, “[and to] constantly enhance the ‘five identifications,’ firmly adhere to the direction of the Sinicization of Catholicism in our country, listen to the party, feel grateful to the party, follow the party, and actively contribute to the local economic and social development with a more high-spirited state of mind.”
The tour appears to be a continuation of the Communist Party’s objective to subordinate religious groups under government control.
According to a report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom earlier this month, Chinese officials have ordered the removal of crosses from churches, replacing images of Christ and Mary with pictures of President Xi Jinping.