CV NEWS FEED // Religious freedom in Hong Kong is collapsing due to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) abusing and taking control of the region’s religious institutions, according to a recent report.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK) published an extensive report on January 30, titled, “Hostile Takeover: The CCP and Hong Kong’s Religious Communities.”
CFHK stated in a press release that the report “details the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to assert control over Hong Kong’s religious sphere, signaling a bleak future for religious freedoms in the region.”
The report’s author and the CFHK Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Frances Hui stated, “As the CCP has tightened control over Hong Kong, particularly since the rollout of the NSL in 2020, religious communities have continued to face threats to their values and practices.”
The report includes “eyewitness testimonies from people directly affected by the CCP’s takeover of the religious sphere in Hong Kong in hopes to highlight some of the tragedy they have been forced to undergo simply for having personal beliefs that the CCP perceive as a threat to their dominance,” Hui added.
CFHK stated that “some of the main abuses of religious freedom, and its consequences, detailed in the report, are as follows:
Orchestrated CCP Takeover: The CCP is actively taking control of Hong Kong’s religious institutions, as seen through various initiatives and efforts to influence religious groups…
‘Sinicization’ of Religion: The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese is working with the CCP to implement its control over elements of the Church, in a process known as ‘Sinicization’. Trips to Beijing omit discussions on the “underground” church and persecuted faithful in mainland China.
Politicization of Religious Organizations: The CCP is politicizing religious organizations to advance its agenda. Ominously, the CCP is rallying Muslim governments to downplay human rights violations against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang…
Suppression of Information: The Catholic Church in Hong Kong is suppressing information on religious persecution in China, and the Justice and Peace Commission under its auspices has diluted its focus on Chinese affairs and human rights.
The “underground church” in China recognizes the authority of Rome in appointing bishops and new pastors. These churches are not “approved” by the CCP. The more public, state-sanctioned church does not recognize the Vatican’s authority, and has historically appointed state-backed bishops and leaders on its own.
The complex relations between the Vatican and China have potentially improved, according to recent reports, but the CFHK report calls on the Vatican, and the international community more broadly, to respond to “the deteriorating religious freedom situation in Hong Kong.”
The report recommends for the Vatican especially to “advocate for the release of religious prisoners” and to “Repeal the Vatican-China agreement.”
Read the full report here.
