YOUTONG VILLAGE, China (Reuters) – Choosing a church can be complicated in China under the rule of the officially atheist Communist Party – especially in Youtong village, where roughly half the 5,000 residents are Catholics.

A child enters the government-sanctioned Catholic church during a mass on Palm Sunday in Youtong village, Hebei province, China, March 25, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Within a mile radius, the village in northern China’s Hebei province hosts a Catholic church sanctioned by Chinese authorities, two large “underground” churches, and numerous smaller unofficial house churches, according to villagers.

Youtong provides a snapshot of the muddled and delicate situation for China’s estimated 12 million Catholics, with allegiances split between government-sanctioned churches and the underground ones endorsed by the Vatican, amid expectations that a historic accord will soon be struck between Rome and Beijing.

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