The Chinese government has ramped up surveillance and restrictions affecting its estimated 12 million Catholics, intensifying efforts to pressure underground communities to affiliate with the state-controlled church, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.
This pressure is seen as part of a long-term campaign to align religious groups with Communist Party ideologies, the organization stated. In response, the Chinese government dismissed these claims, asserting that Human Rights Watch has “consistently biased” views against China.
In China, Catholics have historically faced a divide between the state-run church and an underground faction that remains loyal to the Vatican. In an effort to ease these tensions, Pope Francis reached an agreement in 2018 that allowed the Chinese government to have a say in the appointment of bishops.
Human Rights Watch researcher Yarkun Uluyol pointed out that ten years after Xi Jinping’s campaign for ‘sinicization’ and nearly eight years following the Holy See-China agreement, Chinese Catholics are experiencing increasing repression that infringes upon their religious freedoms. Uluyol urged Pope Leo XIV to reconsider this agreement and to encourage the Chinese government to cease its intimidation tactics against underground churches, clergy, and worshippers.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry labeled Human Rights Watch’s findings as fabricated and lacking credibility. They insisted that the government supervises religious matters according to law, ensuring citizens’ freedom of religion and normal religious practices.
Human Rights Watch indicated that its findings were based on interviews with individuals outside of China who possess firsthand knowledge of the Catholic experience there, as their researchers have not been granted access to the country.
The 2018 agreement allows the Chinese government to suggest candidates for bishops, subject to the Pope’s veto, although the full details of the agreement remain undisclosed.
In June 2025, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV appointed bishops as per the 2018 agreement, stating that following it would continue “in the short term.” He emphasized the complexity of the situation and expressed that he is engaging in dialogue with various parties concerning these issues.
According to Human Rights Watch, since 2018, there have been reports of Chinese authorities acting to pressure underground Catholics into joining the state-run church through means of detainment and house arrest. The organization also mentioned that China officially recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam, yet applies strict oversight and increases ideological control and surveillance of religious activities.
In 2016, Xi Jinping declared a policy intended to ‘sinicize’ religions in China to align them with Communist Party ideology. The severity of these measures has seen churches and crosses demolished, gatherings in unregistered churches prohibited, and religious materials seized when they were not sanctioned by the state.
