Chinese react differently to 'religion' in communist constitution

Published: 2007-11-13

HONG KONG (CNS) -- Some church leaders praised the inclusion of the word "religion" in the Communist Party's constitution as a small step forward, but a recent commentary in a Hong Kong daily identified the Vatican as a "foreign force" meddling in the affairs of Hong Kong and Macau. The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing in mid-October has been called a breakthrough for religion in China, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. The latest revision to the party constitution uses the word "religion" for the first time since the constitution was drafted in 1921. The 19th paragraph of the constitution's General Program now includes this sentence: "The party strives to fully implement its basic principle for its work related to religious affairs and rallies religious believers in making contributions to economic and social development." The paragraph originally contained only calls for communists' promotion of relations with ethnic minorities based on equality, solidarity, mutual harmony, training of cadres from these groups, and empowering these groups to work for prosperity and development.

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