By suzanne downing 
The State Administration for Religious Affairs of China has rolled out strict new regulations that dramatically curtail how clergy in the People’s Republic can engage with followers online, further tightening state control over religious expression.
The Code of Conduct for Religious Clergy on the Internet, a set of 18 articles, prohibits priests, pastors, imams, monks, and other clergy from preaching, conducting rituals, or sharing any faith-based messages through livestreams, short videos, or online meetings. Religious activities are instead confined to government-approved websites, apps, forums, and digital platforms operated by registered religious institutions.
The code requires clergy using these approved platforms to affirm loyalty to the Chinese state, including support for the Communist Party of China and its socialist system. Religious leaders must also register their social media accounts with internet service providers and provide certification verifying their status as government-recognized clergy before sharing any religious content.
One of the most restrictive provisions bans evangelization or religious education of minors online. Clergy are barred from hosting youth-oriented programs such as virtual catechism classes or seasonal religious camps, cutting off one of the few remaining avenues for reaching younger generations.
Catholic priests and other religious leaders have voiced alarm, warning that the measures pose a major barrier to sharing their faith in an era when digital platforms are critical for community engagement. But the rules reflect the CPC’s ongoing push for the “Sinicization” of religion, or the aligning of all faith practices with state ideology and Chinese cultural norms.
While government authorities describe the regulations as necessary to regulate online spaces and curb “unauthorized” religious activity, they mark a sharp escalation in Big Brother oversight and come as online tools have become essential for many religious communities, especially after the pandemic accelerated the shift toward digital communication.
As the new code takes effect, clergy across China face the challenge of operating under a tightly restricted digital environment, with few options to reach potential and current followers or maintain religious life outside of state-sanctioned channels.
Suzanne Downing
Well that sounds eerily familiar, as the current Administration here proclaims its desire to monitor social media, hoping to punish those who disagree politically, and urges people to rat out their fellow citizens and call for their firings.
Well, “those who disagree politically” is an interesting euphemism for the sociopathic celebration of murder of someone with whose ideology you disagree, and the subsequent social consequences that might follow.
Communists gotta communist, its who they are