Political advisors stress development of religious personnel

BEIJING -- Chinese political advisors on Monday joined a symposium in Beijing to discuss how to strengthen the development of religious personnel in the country.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attended and addressed the symposium.

Noting that training religious personnel is crucial to advancing the cause of religion in China, Wang called for efforts to train more qualified and patriotic religious personnel to promote the healthy development of all faiths and guide religions to adapt to a socialist society.

A total of 11 political advisors, young and middle-aged representatives from the religious field and religious experts and scholars shared their experience at the symposium.

Participants called for upholding Party leadership while training religious personnel and guiding religious figures to firmly establish the sense of state, citizenship, and rule of law.

Religious schools should be important bases for the development of patriotic religious personnel, interpreting religious doctrines correctly, and training existing religious staff, said the participants.

Participants also called for attaching importance to the training of high-level representatives of the religious circle, stepping up the development of primary-level religious staff, and promoting exchanges to broaden the international horizon of religious figures.

The symposium was organized by the committee for ethnic and religious affairs of the CPPCC National Committee.