A photo of the outside of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Archdiocese of Beijing taken on July 2, 2021. Photo: CFP

China has introduced the online inquiry system for the information checking of Islamic, Catholic and Christian clergy on Tuesday, a step to promote the openness of religious affairs as well as the identification and management of clergy.

Entering the websites of China Islamic Association, Catholic Church of China, China Christian Council and China's State Bureau of Religious Affairs, the public can check the information of the clergy who have been identified and registered in accordance with the laws through the system after inputting two necessary message.

One is either the clergy's name on the ID card or religious title. The other is either the clergy's ID card number or the specific city where he or she is.

If the person was the clergy identified and registered in accordance with the laws, the information including the name, gender, photo, religious title, religious sect, clerical identity and clerical ID number will be presented. If not, the system will indicate that the person's information was not found.

Similar information inquiry system for Buddhist and Taoist clergy has been launched in February to regulate the management on clerical personnel and fight against fraud cases related to fake religious personnel.

Fraud cases involving fake religious personnel have occurred from time to time over recent years, which has seriously tarnished the image of religious groups, disturbed social and public order, caused economic and property loss, and created an extremely bad social impact, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In 2021, Wang Xingfu in Jinan, East China's Shandong Province, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he illegally amassed nearly 200 million yuan ($29.11 million) and raped or molested several female disciples by faking an identity as a Living Buddha of Tibetan Buddhism.

Global Times