Catholics can still grow the church this way today—if they look to the First Amendment and empower the heart of Peter, rather than look to integration from within and empower the bureaucracy of Caesar, writes AEI’s William Haun in an excerpt of his new book.

Catholics Forbidden Even to Buy Bibles at Iconic Cathedral Dear Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex), President Xi Jinping, Director Duan Yijun of the National Religious Affairs Administration, Mayor Gong Zheng of Shanghai, Bishop Joseph Shen Bin, Director Chen Chang, Deputy Pan Yuanqing, and Party Secretary Zhou Yan of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs: At St. Ignatius Cathedral, 158 Puxi Road, Xujiahui, once a living house of prayer and a wonder of the world, the doors have been closed to visitors since the start of 2026 under claims of renovation. Public worship has ceased for months. In the affiliated store, every shelf was stripped by 1 August. Bibles and the Four Common Prayers vanished. When the faithful asked, the only answer was: “They’re gone, they’re all gone.” What greater emptiness exists than a cathedral without the Word of God? As stewards of heavenly and civil authority, how can the doors of this historic house of prayer remain closed? Open the doors. Return the Bibles. Restore free worship. The eyes of history now wait. #ReligiousFreedomChina# #ShanghaiCatholics# #StIgnatiusCathedral# #ChinaAid# #PersecutedChurch# Photo: “St. Ignatius Cathedral, Shanghai” by 钉钉, CC BY-SA 4.0 Map: OpenStreetMap