Presentation (Catholics in Maoist and Post Mao China)

My online presentation is about my paper. I will be discussing about the communist policy on religion. I will mostly be focusing on Christianity particularly Catholicism. My claim that that through the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, Communist policy was forced to change and this is done through Document 19.

The missionaries during the 17th and 18th centuries tried to convert the lowly people but failed because Catholic doctrine defied the right of the emperor. The idea that they had to abide to a Pope being higher than their own emperor worried those who ruled and therefore religion did not universally spread. Before the communists took over, the missionaries that still resided in the country side developed Christendoms that still exist today. In these towns the church was intertwined with all aspects of daily life.

The Great Leap forward was a time when famine was widespread. Famine was caused by the pushed for everyone to be in the industrial revolution but along the country side on their own properties. This push left farms to become overgrown and the people to starve. There are even stories like one family who had seen a few rotten potatoes floating down a steam and rushed in the middle of winter out to grab them so they could actually eat something that day. The Great Leap was followed swiftly by the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution was a time where all people, especially children, were encouraged to tell any and all violations that their parents, teachers, friends, and coworkers committed. They then could face a variety of penalties. Following these two events came a rise in religious following because of the uncertainty of what could come next.

The rise of religion was too great just to eliminate it. Therefore the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) created Document 19 that states that the religion will faze out when true communism is reached and it cannot be forced out. Therefore the CCP established government agencies to control the church like the CCPA (Chinese Catholic Patriot Association). This was a way for citizens to still be in the country and follow the religion. This association takes charge in electing new bishops and cardinals which goes against Catholic Doctrine and therefore is not recognized at the time (80s) by the Vatican. This has created the accepted church and the underground church. The underground church is Vatican followers that are going against Catholic doctrine but still not seeked out like they had been in Maoist China.