
China's Church Divided
From Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies
January 8, 2026 · 40 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the complexities of the Catholic Church in China and its relationship with the Communist Party and the Vatican.
In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Paul Mariani, Professor at Santa Clara University and author of the new book, China’s Church Divided: Bishop Louis Jin and the Post-Mao Catholic Revival. Paul unpacks the Communist Party's views on religion, how the Catholic Church navigated the turbulent politics of 1980's China, and why the Vatican has renewed a controversial deal with Beijing.
People in this episode
Host: Henrietta Levin
Guest: Paul Mariani
Topics covered
- religion
- Catholic Church
- China politics
- Vatican relations
- post-Mao era
Keywords
- China
- Catholic Church
- Communist Party
- Vatican
- religion
- politics
- Paul Mariani
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Santa Clara University, Communist Party
Books & works: China’s Church Divided: Bishop Louis Jin and the Post-Mao Catholic Revival
Places: China, Vatican
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