Catholic Church in China

Matteo Ricci (left) and Xu Guangqi (right) in the Chinese edition of Euclid's Elements published in 1607

The Catholic Church (Chinese: 天主教; pinyin: Tiānzhǔ jiào; lit. 'Religion of the Lord of Heaven', after the Chinese term for the Christian God) first appeared in China upon the arrival of John of Montecorvino in China proper during the Yuan dynasty; he was the first Catholic missionary in the country, and would become the first bishop of Khanbaliq (1271–1368).

Quotes

• According to the HRW report, some underground Catholics said they felt betrayed by the Vatican, and dozens of Catholics interviewed by one expert reported feelings that the Vatican is also “coming after them.” A priest living abroad fears that because new bishops are now not being appointed for the underground church, “in the long run, underground Catholics [in China] will be gone.”
  • Ruth Ingram, "No Real Freedom for the Catholic Church in China", Bitter Winter (April 28, 2026)

See also

• 2018 Holy See–China Agreement