HONG KONG (UCAN): China convened its 19th National Congress of the Communist Party on October 18.
 
Regarded as a major high profile gathering every five years, this time round it is expected that the president, Xi Jinping, will be endorsed for a second term in the top job of the Communist Party.
 
But this may not be welcome news for religious minorities on the mainland, as to say it has been a tough year for them would be a gross understatement.
 

HONG KONG (UCAN): The Chinese government has tightened the screws on religious freedom in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region with new regulations providing for parents and guardians to be reported if they force children to take part in religious activities.

The new regulations in the Muslim-majority state were passed by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional People’s Congress on September 29 and will come into effect on November 1.

HONG KONG (UCAN): The State Administration for Religious Affairs in Beijing made identification papers (ID cards) for the registration of Buddhist monks compulsory during 2015 and is planning to do the same for both Taoist and Catholic priests during the coming year.

HONG KONG (SE): The appeal from the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Fernando Cardinal Filoni, to the authorities in Beijing to reopen a dialogue with the Holy See highlights an extremely important issue, the bishop of Hong Kong, John Cardinal Tong Hon, told Vatican Insider on October 28 in Rome.