Catholics in China in a Eucharistic celebration The largest survey ever conducted of the Catholic Church in mainland China has indicated that the Catholic population has not kept pace with overall population growth. The results of the study, conducted by the Faith Institute for Cultural Studies (FICS), a Church-run organization based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, were published on Dec. 18. According to the survey, there are now about 5.71 million Catholics in mainland China, served by 3,397 bishops, priests and deacons.
At prayer - from the Mainland
However, statistics compiled by Hong Kong diocese's Holy Spirit Study Centre (HSSC) in 2008 show a marked difference from FICS' figures. HSSC puts the number of mainland Catholics at about 12 million last year, more than double the figure given by FICS. Anthony Lam Sui-ki, HSSC's senior researcher, said his institute began collecting data from mainland dioceses in 1988, and there has always been a marked difference between its figures and the mainland Church's official figures. Lam says that according to HSSC's research, there are 80 Vatican-approved bishops, with about half of them not recognized by the Chinese government. There are fewer than 10 bishops in the government-approved Church community who do not have a papal mandate, he added.
The difference in numbers from the official statistics and the Holy Spirit Study Centre is due to the fact that one counts number of participants in Church activities while the other counts the numbers of baptized Catholics.
At prayer - from the MainlandA total of 3,268 priests are serving in more than 100 dioceses. The report says there are now 628 seminarians studying in 10 major seminaries plus another 630 in 30 minor seminaries. There are a total of 5,451 nuns from 106 congregations, and only 350 Religious men. A Church observer, using the pen name "Dade," says the survey shows how small the number of Catholics still is compared to China's 1.3 billion population. He says the Church needs to evangelize more for its overall development.
However, statistics compiled by Hong Kong diocese's Holy Spirit Study Centre (HSSC) in 2008 show a marked difference from FICS' figures. HSSC puts the number of mainland Catholics at about 12 million last year, more than double the figure given by FICS. Anthony Lam Sui-ki, HSSC's senior researcher, said his institute began collecting data from mainland dioceses in 1988, and there has always been a marked difference between its figures and the mainland Church's official figures. Lam says that according to HSSC's research, there are 80 Vatican-approved bishops, with about half of them not recognized by the Chinese government. There are fewer than 10 bishops in the government-approved Church community who do not have a papal mandate, he added.The difference in numbers from the official statistics and the Holy Spirit Study Centre is due to the fact that one counts number of participants in Church activities while the other counts the numbers of baptized Catholics.
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