From Yangjiao to Sinicised Catholicism: Re-Interpretation of the Catholic Faith in the People´s Republic of China
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | 2019 Sinophone Studies in Europe and the Americas. International Young Scholars Conference: Conference Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Keywords | Catholic Church; China; the People´s Republic of China; mission; Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association |
| Description | Since 2015, the Chinese authorities have advocated the ‘sinicisation/Chinesisation of religions’ (zongjiao zhongguohua), which, according to the government, should eventually lead to the creation of a harmonious society in China. Similarly, during an annual religious conference in 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need for different religions to be compatible with socialism and therefore to undergo sinicisation. This direction has been stressed ever more urgently since the 19th Congress of the CCP in October 2017. Accordingly, the novelised version of a legal document Regulation on Religious Affairs mentions the need to support socialism and to practice the core socialist values (shehui zhuyi hexin jiazhiguan). The Catholic priests and missionaries have tried to interconnect the Catholic dogma to the Chinese culture since the beginning of their mission. In recent decades, the trend towards effecting a harmony between the Catholic faith and Chinese tradition is evident in the context of the CCPA. The article analyses how exactly is the Catholic Church (represented by the CCPA) re-interpreting its tradition to meet the governmental requirements as well as to attract more potential converts. |
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