The 18th National Joint Meeting of Religious Communities was hosted virtually on December 17.
The theme of the conference was to study and implement the spirit of the National Conference on Religious Work conducted in Beijing early this month, reported by the United Front Work Department.
According to the meeting, religious groups were reminded to adhere to the principle of independence and self-management, carry out friendly exchanges with foreign countries in religion, and resist foreign infiltration activities through religious means. They were demanded to abide by the administrative measures for Internet religious affairs, regulate Internet religious practices, resist illegal religious activities, and make sure no major risks occur. They were urged to improve the internal management system of religions, ensure the implementation of this system, standardize the behavior of the clergy, and establish a disciplinary mechanism among the teaching staff.
The religious bodies should strengthen the training, assessment, and supervision of the persons in charge of religious groups and religious activity venues, encourage the heads to take the lead in observing laws and regulations and to improve their religious practices, strengthen the self-construction of religious organizations, and perfect the democratic supervision system.
They also should engage in training talents “who have a good character and religious accomplishments and could play an important role at critical times”, and “build a team of grassroots faculty members who are proficient in classic doctrines and also in Chinese traditional culture". They were asked to manage religious schools and colleges well in the "correct direction".
The meeting was attended by heads, secretaries-general, and directors-general of national religious organizations as well as the heads of the National YMCA and YWCA.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
