Senior official hails role of religious groups

Religious groups nationwide are encouraged to play a leading role in further promoting religions in the Chinese context and provide practical and detailed guidance during the process, a senior Party official said.

It is important to further uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation and maintain normal order in religious circles, Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said on Tuesday when meeting representatives of religious groups around China.

Religious circles must carry out full and strict governance and draft better internal rules and regulations. Also, the organizational structure and administrative mode can be improved, he said.

Furthermore, religious groups should continue to encourage their members to abstain from extravagance, Wang added.

Representatives from national associations of Buddhism, Taoism and Islam as well as the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China took part in the meeting.

Religious groups serve as bridges linking the Party and government with the religious believers, so the Party and government have always attached great importance to uniting and working with religious groups, said Wang, adding that they will receive support from governments at all levels and get the help they need.

During the meeting, Wang acknowledged the contribution of different religious groups in the past year and wished religious leaders and believers around the nation a happy Lunar New Year.

The CPC Central Committee has put forward a series of new concepts and measures on religious work since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. They include establishing robust leadership, upholding and developing a religious theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, working in line with the Party's basic policy on religious affairs and upholding the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation.