Most experts agree that Chinese citizens will not enjoy substantial religious freedom until they are free to form unsupervised religious associations and organizations. Between 1949 and 1978, the Chinese government destroyed China's relatively underdeveloped civil society. But since 1978, the Chinese people have rebuilt some of the institutions of civil society, despite strict government limits. The Government generally gives little latitude to religious believers to form private voluntary associations, but in recent years has permitted the formation of a network of Catholic social services, while tightening restrictions on Catholics in other areas.

This roundtable will examine recent developments in Catholic institutions of civil society and assess in what areas future liberalization or additional restrictions are likely to occur.

Panelists:

Janet Carroll, M.M.Program Associate, U.S. Catholic China Bureau

Sr. Janet Carroll served as Executive Director of the U.S. Catholic China Bureau from 1989 to 2003. Prior to this she served as Advisor on the People's Republic of China and the ASEAN States to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. She has frequently lectured or served as a panelist on Church in China issues, is the author of articles in such journals as China Church Quarterly and Missiology, and has been a leader in ecumenical and mission organizations. She has also received a an M.A. in International Affairs from Yale University, a Ph.D. honoris causa from Siena College, N.Y, and the Papal Honor, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.

Richard Madsen, Professor of Sociology, University of California at San Diego

Professor Madsen is one of the leading scholarly authorities on Chinese Catholics. He has published numerous books and articles, including China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in a Chinese Village (1998), China and the American Dream: A Moral Inquiry (1995), Unofficial China: Popular Thought and Culture in the People's Republic (co-edited with Perry Link and Paul Pickowicz, 1989), Morality and Power in a Chinese Village (1984), and Chen Village (with Anita Chan and Jonathan Unger, 1984). Professor Madsen has received numerous awards and honors, including a Jury Nominee for the Pulitzer Prize in General Non-fiction in 1986 for a book he co-authored about civil society in America, Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life.

Catholics and Civil Society in China (Text)

Catholics and Civil Society in China (PDF)