By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News)--
The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese has become concerned about the state of the Catholic Church in mainland China.
According to Asia News, Chinese authorities have imposed religious policies on the Catholic Church that run counter to its practices. This has split Catholics into "official" and "underground" communities that have both suffered under China's Communist authorities.
For example, while China claims to safeguard the autonomy of the Catholic Church, its government has established the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the National Assembly of Catholic Representatives: while the CCPA interferes with personnel appointments within the church, the authority of the NACR -- a political assembly composed mostly of government officials -- exceeds that of Catholic bishops.
Although the Chinese government claims that neither the clergy or laity are required to join the CPA, any religion in China that is not registered with the state is regarded as illegal.