"This book ... makes a very valuable contribution towards a greater understanding of the Catholic Church and its dealings with China today from the viewpoints of policies, people, organizations and communities. ... This is an important book in providing an understanding of the events since the 1980s that preceded this agreement and it gives some grounds for hope." (Patricia Madigan, Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Vol. 115 (4-5), 2020)
"This is an exemplary collection of chapters that explain the historical vicissitudes that have troubled China's Catholic community for several decades. This volume will remain an important work on post-Maoist Catholic studies largely because of the quality of its scholarship but mostly because of the clarity of its analysis." (Anthony E. Clark, Church History, Vol. 89 (4), December, 2020)
"This collection of informed, timely chapters edited by Professor Cindy Yik-yi Chu and Professor Paul P.Mariani, S.J., ably captures the evolving turmoil. Carefully detailing the thinking that motivated Pope Francis' decision as well as providing context for understanding cultural complexities, People, Communities, and the Catholic Church in China offers precious background." (Benjamin Ivry, America Magazine, americamagazine.org, 17 December 2020)
"This edited volume is a coherent collection of contributions with multiple layers of reading that provide a rich window on currents debates on Chinese Catholicism. Its content is as rich as it is diverse. ... this book provides well-documented and multifaceted access to most debates on the Church in China." (Michel Chambon, Archives de sciences sociales des religions, Vol. 192, October-December, 2020)
"In this timely, informative, and insightful essay collection, Cindy Yik-yi Chu and Paul P. Mariani have brought together a team of experts to provide an up-to-date account of the Catholic Church in China. ... In short, the editors and contributors have done a great job highlighting major historical, political, social, and cultural trends that are shaping Church-state relations and Vatican-China encounters. Their rich empirical findings and analytical insights should appeal to China scholars, church historians, and religious specialists." (Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, The International Journal of Asian Christianity, Vol. 3 (2), 2020)
The Chinese Catholic Church in Changing Times.- An Overview of the Catholic Church in Post-Mao China.- The Development of the Underground Church in Post-Mao China.- Bishop Jin Luxian and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association of Shanghai.- Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong.- The Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Sinense from 1976 to Present.- The Jinde Charities Foundation of Hebei Province and Catholic Charities in China.- Recent Developments of Youth Ministry in China.- The Sheshan “Miracle” and Its Interpretations.
Cindy Yik-yi Chu is Professor of History at Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong. She publishes on the Catholic Church and the Catholic sisters in China and Hong Kong.
Paul P. Mariani is the Edmund Campion, SJ Endowed Professor of History at Santa Clara University, USA. He is the author of Church Militant.
This book explores the Chinese Catholic Church as a whole as well as focusing on particular aspects of its activities, including diplomacy, politics, leadership, pilgrimage, youths, and non-Chinese Catholics in China. It discusses Sino-Vatican relations and the rationale behind the decisions taken by Pope Francis with regard to the appointment of bishops in China. The book also examines important changes and personalities in the Chinese Church, the Catholic organizations, and the Catholic communities in the Church, offering a key read for researchers and graduate students studying the Chinese Catholic Church, the Church in Asia, and religion in contemporary China.