There is an apostolic nunciature as papal diplomatic representation (embassy-level) to China, in Taipei, the seat of government of the Republic of China on Taiwan, also charged with mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
The Catholic Church recognizes the Republic of China as the sole government for all of China; nevertheless, it does not recognize all of its territorial claims. The term "China" has to be understood as including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan in its 1949 provincial boundaries and mainland China as effectively controlled by the People's Republic of China. Due to the non-recognition of the People's Republic of China, however, the authority of the Taipei-based Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference is effectively limited to the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. The dioceses of Hong Kong (suffragan of Guangzhou) and Macao (exempt) do not belong to that conference. The dioceses of mainland China take part in the Beijing-based Chinese Bishops Conference, which is not recognized by the Holy See.
Current Latin dioceses in Greater China
Note that the diocese of Hong Kong belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou, whereas the diocese of Macau is exempt. Also note that a small part of the diocese of Xiamen, the island of Kinmen, is administered by the Republic of China. At this moment, this part of the diocese is administered by the archdiocese of Taipei.
In all of greater China, only one non-Latin jurisdiction exists: an apostolic exarchate of the Russian Greek Catholic Church in Harbin. It has, however, been vacant since 1939.
However, the Chinese government has its own division of the dioceses, which is not necessarily identical to that of the Holy See. For example, many dioceses have been merged, and the difference between archdioceses, dioceses, apostolic prefectures and apostolic administrations has been abolished. Thus, according to the Chinese government, mainland China is divided into 104 jurisdictions, all dioceses.
Originally, the ecclesiastical provinces were closely aligned with the civil provinces of China. However, the borders of most provinces have not been redrawn again for decades. As a general guideline, however, the ecclesiastical provinces largely correspond with the following civil provinces:
The ecclesiastical jurisdictions in Hainan, Macao, Qinghai and Xinjiang are all exempt, though Macao is a diocese (the others are apostolic prefectures or apostolic administrations). Heilongjiang is also exempt, being administered by three apostolic prefectures, with the exception of some parts of Mudanjiang, which belong to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yanji, which is located in Jilin province (Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang).
In the Apostolic Constitution of 11 April 1946, all provinces are named by the name of the civil province as well as by the name of the archdiocese. The province of Suiyuan is described as the province of Mongolia, and the province of Shenyang as the province of Manchuria. However, these two names are not used anymore.
Current Latin provinces and dioceses in PR China incl. Hong Kong
The Ecclesiastical Province of Anqing roughly covers the territory of Anhui province. The archdiocese is located in Anqing, even though Hefei has been the provincial capital since the 1940s – in fact, no diocese is located in Hefei. Also, apart from the archdiocese and the two diocese, there is also one exempt jurisdiction, the Apostolic Prefecture of Tunxi.
The territory of the Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing is largely equal to that of Hebei province, when including Beijing and Tianjin. An important exception was Chengde; however, in 2018, the diocese of Chengde was erected, a suffragan of the archdiocese of Beijing, covering the entire prefecture-level city of Chengde. Furthermore, Puyang and Xinxiang's Changyuan County (Henan province) belong to the diocese of Daming (Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing), whereas Handan's Linzhang County, She County and Wu'an (all located in Hebei) belong to the diocese of Weihui (Ecclesiastical Province of Kaifeng). Shandongs Ningjin County also belongs to the diocese of Jingxian. Parts of Qinhuangdao and Zhangjiakou do not belong to the Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing. Furthermore, the Apostolic Prefecture of Yixian has not yet been elevated to the rank of diocese, and as such is not yet part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Beijing, but is still exempt. Furthermore, the Diocese of Xiwanzi belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Suiyuan (Inner Mongolia), even though its seat is located in Hebei province.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Chongqing roughly corresponds to Sichuan and Chongqing (Chongqing was separated from Sichuan in 1997) and also covers Tibet, though the diocese serving Tibet, the diocese of Kangding, is located in Sichuan. All the dioceses are located in Sichuan, except for Chongqing and Wanxian, which are located in Chongqing.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Fuzhou roughly covers the territory of Fujian province. In Fujian province, two exempt jurisdictions are also located: the Apostolic Prefecture of Jian'ou and the Apostolic Prefecture of Shaowu.
Note that Kinmen belongs to the diocese of Xiamen, but is administered by the archdiocese of Taipei.[3]
The Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou roughly covers Guangdong and Hong Kong. Nearby Macau and Hainan are both exempt: the diocese of Macau and the Apostolic Prefecture of Hainan. Also, note that the diocese of Beihai is located in Guangxi.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Guiyang roughly covers the territory of Guizhou. In Guizhou province, one exempt jurisdiction is also located: the Apostolic Prefecture of Shiqian.
Apart from the dioceses, Shandong province also has two apostolic prefectures: the Apostolic Prefecture of Weihai and the Apostolic Prefecture of Linqing. However, even after taking this into account, the boundaries do not completely correspond with Shandong province.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Kunming roughly covers the territory of Yunnan. In Yunnan province, one exempt jurisdiction is also located: the Apostolic Prefecture of Zhaotong.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Lanzhou roughly covers the territory of Gansu. Note that Xinjiang is covered by the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinjiang-Urumqi and Qinghai by the Apostolic Prefecture of Xining. Historically, both provinces were part of the Apostolic Vicariate (now Archdiocese) of Lanzhou.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Nanjing roughly covers the territory of Jiangsu and Shanghai. In Jiangsu province, two exempt jurisdictions are also located: the Apostolic Prefecture of Haizhou and the Apostolic Prefecture of Yangzhou.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Nanning roughly covers the territory of Guangxi. In Guangxi, one exempt jurisdiction is also located: the Apostolic Prefecture of Guilin. Also, note that the diocese of Beihai, which is located in Guangxi, is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Guangdong.
The Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang (Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning) roughly covers Liaoning and Jilin. However, the Diocese of Chifeng belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang, but is located in Inner Mongolia. Furthermore, the diocese of Yanji (in Jilin) also covers a very small part of Heilongjiang. Some parts of the North-East are covered by exempt jurisdictions: the Apostolic Administration of Harbin, the Apostolic Prefecture of Jiamusi, the Apostolic Prefecture of Lindong and the Apostolic Prefecture of Qiqihar.
Suiyuan is now known as Hohhot; the dioceses roughly cover Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, though the diocese of Xiwanzi is actually located in Hebei. Also, the Diocese of Chifeng is located in Inner Mongolia, but belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Shenyang.
The territory of the Ecclesiastical Province of Taiyuan is almost equal to that of Shanxi province. However, the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinjiang (also referred to as Yuncheng or Jiangzhou) has not yet been elevated to the rank of diocese, and as such is not yet part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Taiyuan, but is still exempt.
Apart from the dioceses, Shaanxi province also has two apostolic prefectures: the Apostolic Prefecture of Tongzhou and the Apostolic Prefecture of Xing’anfu. However, even after taking this into account, the boundaries do not completely correspond with Shaanxi province.
Dioceses according to the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association
The structure of dioceses of the CPCA is not the same one as the one of the Holy See. First of all, the distinction between archdioceses, dioceses, apostolic prefectures and apostolic administrations is not maintained: only dioceses exist. Secondly, the dioceses are structured according to the administrative divisions of the PRC. Many dioceses have been merged; some provinces are only served by a single diocese. Except for the diocese of Kangding, which also covers Tibet, all dioceses are restricted to territory within a single province.
In total the CPCA has 104 dioceses, whereas according to the Holy See, mainland China has 143 jurisdictions. In the course of time, the CPCA has established five new dioceses (the Diocese of Jincheng and the Diocese of Xinzhou in Shanxi, the Diocese of Bayannur and the Diocese of Baotou in Inner Mongolia, and the Diocese of Zhanjiang in Guangdong. Forty-four other jurisdictions have been merged with other dioceses. For example, according to the Holy See, Hunan province exists of one archdiocese, three dioceses and four apostolic prefectures. These eight jurisdictions have all been merged by the CPCA to form a single diocese of Hunan. Furthermore, many dioceses have been renamed or have had their seat relocated to a nearby city; most of the dioceses boundaries have also been redrawn to correspond with current PRC administrative divisions. In general, Chinese prefectures have no more than one diocese, but there are exceptions: the prefecture of Baoding is divided in the Diocese of Baoding and the Diocese of Anguo.
The CPCA has abolished and merged:
3 jurisdictions in Anhui
2 jurisdictions in Fujian
3 jurisdictions in Guangxi
2 jurisdictions in Guizhou
4 jurisdictions in Hebei
3 jurisdictions in Heilongjiang
6 jurisdictions in Hebei
7 jurisdictions in Hunan
1 jurisdiction in Inner Mongolia
2 jurisdictions in Jiangsu
4 jurisdictions in Jiangxi
2 jurisdictions in Jilin
3 jurisdictions in Liaoning
2 jurisdictions in Shandong
In total, 44 Holy See jurisdictions have been abolished and merged. This includes 26 out of 93 dioceses and 18 out of 29 apostolic prefectures.
The CPCA has established:
1 jurisdiction in Guangdong
2 jurisdictions in Inner Mongolia
2 jurisdictions in Shanxi
In total, 5 new CPCA jurisdictions have been established, all dioceses. Apart from these 5, the CPCA has also established a new diocese in Hebei, the Diocese of Chengde, but this diocese was recognized by the Holy See in 2018.
In the following provinces, no new dioceses were established and existing dioceses were not abolished: Beijing, Chongqing, Gansu, Hainan, Henan, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanghai, Sichuan, Tianjin, Tibet, Xinjiang, Yunnan and Zhejiang. In Guangdong and Zhejiang, no dioceses were abolished, but new diocese were established.
However, names of dioceses may have been changed, dioceses may have been elevated, and the boundaries of dioceses may have changed.
