[1] After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party sought for ways to bring religions in alignment with its ideology.

Pope Pius XII issued Cupimus Imprimis (1952) and Ad Sinarum Gentes (1954) praising Chinese Catholics for their loyalty and underscoring the importance of martyrdom.

Ad Sinarum Gentes additionally spoke out against the "three-self", arguing that independence would make a church no longer "Catholic".

[4] In July 1957, 241 Chinese Catholics from all parts of China, including laity, priests, and bishops, convened a meeting in Beijing with officials from the CCP and the Religious Affairs Bureau.

In June 1958, Pope Pius XII issued Ad Apostolorum Principis, refusing to recognize any consecrations performed without prior Vatican approval.

A sizable population of Chinese Catholics remain as part of the so-called "underground church", seen as "Vatican loyalists", and who boycott masses said by CCPA priests.

[7] The CCPA does not recognize the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Pope Pius XII in 1950, canonizations from 1949 onward (e.g. the canonization of Pope Pius X), Vatican declarations on even well-established devotional piety (e.g. on the Sacred Heart of Jesus or on Mary as Queen), and the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).

[8][better source needed] In 1980, the CCP Central Committee approved a request by the United Front Work Department to create a national conference for religious groups.

[citation needed] In June 2007, fifty years after the establishment of the CCPA, Pope Benedict XVI made publicly available a letter to the Church in China underscoring the importance of unity and outlining a willingness to engage in "respectful and constructive dialogue" with Chinese bishops and government authorities.

It also stresses its anti-imperialism and the need to mark a drastic change from the previous associations of the Catholic Church in China with colonialism and imperialism.

[26] The CCPA argues that there is an ideological harmony between socialism and Catholicism, and attributes socialist values to Pope Francis and other progressive clergymen.

A bishop in the CCPA, Joseph Shen Bin, also remarked that Chinese Catholic theology uses "core socialist values as guidance to provide a creative interpretation of theological classics and religious doctrines that aligns with the requirements of contemporary China’s development and progress, as well as with China’s splendid traditional culture".

Initial efforts to reconcile with the CCPA were stalled by the Cultural Revolution, but contact was eventually established after Deng Xiaoping came to power, and further reconciliation took place under the papacies of John Paul II and Francis.

A good Chinese Catholic works loyally for the progress of the nation, observes the obligations of filial piety towards parents, family and country.

Thus, the Holy See continues to ask that the civil registration of the clergy take place in a manner that guarantees respect for the conscience and the profound Catholic convictions of the persons involved.