(Stream)—Communist China is intensifying its crackdown on Chinese Catholics who conscientiously object to a pact between Rome and Beijing. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV shows no signs of ending the clandestine deal Pope Francis struck with China in 2018.
The conscientious objectors are part of the underground Catholic Church, which remains loyal to the Vatican despite its concordat with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Critics have slammed that as a betrayal of faithful Catholics and an appeasement of the Communist regime.
The crackdown on the underground church has reached alarming proportions, particularly in the Wenzhou diocese, in the southeastern province of Zhejiang, the blog Bitter Winter reported on July 11.
The surge in persecution began in spring 2025 with the orchestrated arrests of priests, nuns, and lay Catholics. Communist authorities closed churches and coerced the faithful into complying with the state-approved Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA).
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