A delegation led by Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, a CCP loyalist, went to the region to “see and believe” that all is well there and to preach “patriotism” to local religionists.
by Zeng Liqin


The law on “patriotic education,” aimed at promoting the most massive domestic propaganda effort in the 21st century, is in force in China since January 1. On January 4, the five authorized religions issued guidelines on how government-controlled religions and clergy are expected to cooperate in this gigantic enterprise.
One region where, understandably, “patriotic education” is not highly successful is Xinjiang (which its non-Han-Chinese inhabitants prefer to call “East Turkistan”). Conversely, news about the protests by Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang increasingly elude the censorship and reach other parts of China, undermining the propaganda claims that all minorities are happy to be ruled by the CCP.
Implementing the guidelines on the mandatory cooperation by religions with “patriotic education,” Catholic priests and friars from Fujian were mobilized, under the guidance of Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, for a “patriotic education” tour of Xinjiang, which lasted from August 18 to 26. Bishop Zhan Silu has been for many years a staunch promoter of the Patriotic Catholic Church. He remained under Vatican excommunication for 18 years. The excommunication was lifted by Pope Francis as part of the Vatican-China deal of 2018 and he was recognized by Rome as Bishop of Funing/Xiapu. But he has not changed his political proclivities.


He told the priests and friars from Fujian who went to Xinjiang that the trip should be considered as part of their study and practice of “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era.” The purpose of the trip was twofold. First, the Catholic leaders were taken to propaganda exhibitions and model villages so that they could go back to Fujian and testify that rumors of protest and unrest in Xinjiang are not true, all is well there, and Uyghurs and other non-Han citizens couldn’t be happier of being under the enlightened government of the CCP. The second aim was to allow the priests and friars from Fujian, through meetings with selected representatives of the local population and religious communities, to testify that the CCP has nothing against religion and religious organizations can in fact flourish if only they submit themselves to the direction of the Party.


As Bishop Zhan Silu emphasized, the priests and friars brought home the message that “Xinjiang is an inseparable part of China’s territory, Xinjiang’s ethnic groups are blood-related family members of the Chinese nation, and religious personnel should be politically dependable, and study and preach Xi Jinping’s thought diligently.” This is the same message the Fujian friars and priests tried to convey to Xinjiang’s religious leaders.
That they succeeded in persuading anybody but those already converted to the CCP gospel is unlikely. The trip, however, demonstrated how religious personnel of the five authorized religions is deployed as propaganda agents, including in “difficult” areas, as part of the “patriotic education” campaign.