Why is the officially atheist Communist government suddenly building churches?
“That’s quite simple: the 2008 Olympics,” said the Rev. Chan Kim-kwong, a historian of religion in China. “Everything started two years ago when Beijing got the Olympic games.” Although the Olympic summer games will last only two weeks, Chinese leaders are acutely aware that the impression the city will make on the world will last much longer. The Chinese Catholic Church, which is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, plans to build a large national seminary in Beijing and has been giving language training to its clergy so they can celebrate Mass in German, French and other languages, Chan said. “It’s not just the games,” he said. “It’s the image of Beijing as an international city, an open, modern city.” Christianity has been growing rapidly in China. Official figures put the number of Protestants at 15 million and Catholics at 10 million. Tens of millions more Christians, including Roman Catholics loyal to the Vatican, belong to unauthorized churches. Decades of political tu
