The State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) sent Christmas greetings to Chinese Catholic and Protestant communities.
Released on its official WeChat account on December 23, the letter says, “On the advent of Christmas, we wish to extend cordial greetings and best wishes to you. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (NCCPC) emphasized adhering to the principle of developing religion in the Chinese context and guiding religions to adapt to a socialist society, providing guidelines for the Party's religious work in the new era.
It also reads, “In the past year, Chinese Catholic and Protestant communities have studied and implemented the spirit of the 20th NCCPC and the spirit of the Central Conference on United Front Work and the National Religious Work Conference. They carried out educational activities on 'three loves' (patriotism, love for the Communist Party of China (CPC), and socialism) and "four histories" (history of the CPC, “New China”, reform and opening up, and development of socialism). They adhered to the principle of independence and self-management and to the full and strict governance of religions, carrying out COVID-19 responses.”
SARA wishes "Catholics and Protestants to strengthen self-management, resolve outstanding issues affecting the sound inheritance of religious belief, and follow the path of adapting to the socialist society in 2023."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
