By Wang Panpan

An official from the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the CPC Central Committee said China's religious policies would not change because of the "ungrounded" comments made by the Vatican.

An official responsible for religious affairs told the Global Times Wednesday that the unreasonable comments were not conducive to improving the relationship between China and the Vatican.

The official made the comment in response to the Vatican's criticisms of a recent national congress of Chinese Catholics.

The congress from December 7 to 9 elected the heads and other senior members of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China.

In a statement last Friday, the Vatican accused China of "unacceptable and hostile acts" that lead to "a grave loss of trust."

The statement said the election of the bishop was "illegitimate," and that the meeting was "imposed on numerous bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful." It described the meeting as a "grave violation of the human rights."

The statement said the meeting is "a sign of fear and weakness." It said the meeting was a sign of China's intransigent intolerance, and has unilaterally damaged the dialogue and trust established between the Vatican and China.

The official from the UFWD told the Global Times Wednesday that the election result of CCPA had been reported to the Vatican after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. However, the Vatican, holding a hostile attitude as other West-ern countries, rejected China.

The official said China develops religious affairs based on the situation of the country, and has established independent financing and democratic supporting modes for religious affairs. The Vatican has wanted to put Chinese Catholics under its rule since the 1980s, when China has been gaining recognition on the international stage. The Vatican also demanded Chinese Catholics to follow the Vatican in terms of religious content and form.

The Vatican attempted to eradicate the development of Chinese Catholics over the past 60 years, which is impossible, the official said, adding that China's religious policies would not be changed by the Vatican.

The official added that China has expressed an interest in seeking dialogue with the Vatican, and made progress in seeking ways to improve ties with the Vatican.

However, the Vatican interfered into China's affairs from time to time, attacking the two main organizations of Chinese Catholics and raising unreasonable demands, which is harmful to improving ties between China and the Vatican, the official said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the State Administration for Religious Affairs, told the Xinhua News Agency Wednesday that the Vatican's criticism was very imprudent and ungrounded.

The spokesperson said China's religious freedom was protected under the Chinese Constitution.

The spokesperson added that the Vatican's practice of seeking to push political ideol-ogy through religious belief is "very dangerous" and warned it could have serious percussions for the Catholic Church's development in China.