Enter the “Administrative Measures for Religious Clergy”: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

… the new “Administrative Measures for Religious Clergy” will come into force on May 1

… a national data base of the authorized clergy

… those who are out of it and will claim to be clergy will commit a crime

… should prove that they “support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and support the socialist system” (article 3)

… It is difficult to be registered, easy to lose the registration

… (provisions are stricter), particularly Tibetan Buddhist, or Roman Catholic

… any reincarnation of a lama should be authorized by the CCP 

… bishops in China should be democratically elected

… consecrated through the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference

… no mention of the Vatican or the Pope, which in theory should appoint the bishops under the Vatican-China deal

… The clergy receives awards and punishments, and if the latter exceeds the former registration in the data base is lost and worse consequences are threatened

       

 

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