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Bob Fu calls for Christians in China to be free to “worship according to conscience”
n an interview with Press Crux, the ChinaAid founder shares testimonies and proposals for supporting Christians in China. Listening to communities, protecting freedom of conscience, and maintaining communion with Rome are central concerns in a situation the Holy See approaches through pastoral dialogue.
INTERVIEW | CHURCH IN CHINA
Ana Paula Morales
11/6/20265 min read
Façade of Xishiku Cathedral in Beijing, China, also known as Beitang or the Church of the Savior. The church combines Gothic architecture with traditional Chinese pavilions. Photo: 7 (@4000km) / Unsplash.
For the Rev. Bob Fu, the freedom to celebrate Mass, train priests, and pass the faith on to children has a human face. In written responses to Press Crux, the founder and president of ChinaAid speaks about bishops, families, and communities who want to live out their religious convictions without fear.
“The Church must retain decisive authority over discernment, appointment, and pastoral governance,” the Protestant pastor says in the interview, dated November 6, 2026.
Drawing on his experience leading an organization that documents allegations of religious persecution, Fu calls for listening directly to communities and examining the everyday conditions in which their pastors serve. His assessment of the agreement between the Holy See and China is critical, but he acknowledges institutional developments and proposes specific protections.
Dialogue with a pastoral purpose
Fu’s responses follow Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s November 5 remarks about the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, signed in 2018.
According to Vatican News, the Holy See’s secretary of state reaffirmed the commitment to dialogue, acknowledged the agreement’s imperfections, and expressed the intention to keep working to improve it.
The agreement addresses a specific aspect of Church life: the appointment of bishops. The Holy See has explained that its purpose is pastoral, seeking to ensure that communities have shepherds in communion with the Pope and recognized by the civil authorities. Its text remains confidential by mutual consent, as noted in an official explanation published in 2020.
In his September 2018 message to Chinese Catholics, Pope Francis placed this process within the pursuit of reconciliation and unity, acknowledging that the agreement could not resolve every existing problem on its own. In October 2024, the Holy See and China extended its validity for four years.
The ChinaAid founder acknowledges papally approved episcopal appointments and the reconciliation of some bishops with Rome. His concern is how these developments can be accompanied by safeguards for the faithful.
“Yet the central question is whether these developments translate into freedom for ordinary believers,” he says.
“The agreement must be judged not merely by appointments, but by whether bishops and believers can worship without fear.”
Listening to communities facing difficulties
Among Fu’s concerns are the communities commonly described as underground or unofficial, whose religious activities take place outside state-recognized structures.
According to ChinaAid’s president, the organization’s reporting reflects fear, pressure to accept political control, and concern that these communities’ experiences are not sufficiently understood.
“Underground believers can face surveillance, fines, restrictions on worship and religious formation, and pressure to join state-recognized bodies,” he explains.
His proposal includes listening in a way that protects those involved: “The Vatican must listen directly and confidentially to these communities.”
The relationship of these Catholics with the civil authorities should not automatically be equated with their relationship to the Church. Fu emphasizes: “Their resistance should not be mistaken for rejection of the Pope: fidelity to Rome has often been a reason they faced persecution.”
The Holy See has explicitly acknowledged the difficulties of conscience facing some clergy. In its June 2019 pastoral guidelines on the civil registration of clergy, it expressed understanding and respect for those who could not register under the existing conditions.
The document called for an end to intimidation of unofficial communities and urged the faithful to support their pastors, understand the complexity of their decisions, and preserve unity.
Safeguards for ministry and family life
Asked what protections are needed, Fu identifies concerns closely connected to pastoral service: “freedom to celebrate Mass, ordain clergy, teach, and communicate with Rome; protection against detention and surveillance; and independently verifiable accountability.”
He cites Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou. In a report published on March 7, 2025, ChinaAid, citing AsiaNews, reported his detention after he refused to pay a 200,000-yuan fine connected to a Mass celebrated in December 2024.
That report concerns that particular episode and does not establish his current situation. The Rev. Fu asks that the case receive specific attention in diplomatic efforts.
He also proposes criteria for assessing improvements: “Credible progress would include release of detained clergy, an end to compulsory participation in state-controlled associations, recognition of underground bishops’ pastoral authority, freedom for religious education and worship, and an end to punishment for peaceful religious activity.”
“These outcomes must be independently verifiable,” he adds.
ChinaAid’s allegations need to be examined in light of their dates and supporting documentation. The organization’s president cautions that the figure of at least ten Catholic bishops and priests imprisoned or missing, published by his organization in May 2025, should not be presented as a verified current total without updated case-by-case confirmation. The existence of restrictions after 2018 does not, in itself, establish that the agreement caused them.
Faith rooted in Chinese culture and in communion with Rome
The Protestant pastor distinguishes between Christianity’s expression within Chinese culture and demands for political subordination.
“Authentic Chinese cultural expression of Christianity is legitimate,” he says. His concern involves situations in which political ideology determines who may preach, how communities are governed, or what worship is allowed.
In his November 5 message to the conference on the first Chinese bishops, Pope Leo XIV recalled the importance of the Church taking on the characteristics of the peoples among whom it proclaims the Gospel and emphasized the bishops’ communion with the Successor of Peter.
In his address published by Fides, Parolin expressed the Holy See’s willingness to accompany and support Chinese Catholics.
Stories of hope
The Rev. Fu finds signs of perseverance among people displaced because of their faith. He mentions the Christian community known as the Mayflower Church, whose members spent time in South Korea and Thailand before 64 found refuge in Texas in 2023.
“These families remind us that Christian faith cannot ultimately be extinguished through political control,” he says.
His testimony concludes with a conviction that reaches across denominational differences: “Catholics and Protestants differ theologically, but both deserve freedom to worship according to conscience.”
The Rev. Bob Fu, a Protestant pastor and the founder and president of ChinaAid, an organization dedicated to defending religious freedom in China. Photo: courtesy of Bob Fu.
Entrance to a Christian church with a cross on the door and a sign in Chinese stating: “Minors are not permitted to participate in religious activities.” Photo: Jason Hu / Unsplash.
