| Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference | |
| Abbreviation: | CRBC (臺灣主教團) |
| Formation: | 1967 |
| Type: | NGO |
| Purpose: | To deal with affairs relating to Catholics in Taiwan and to maintain contact with the Holy See and universal Church |
| Headquarters: | Taipei City, Taiwan |
| Location: | 39 An Ju Street, Da-an District |
| Region Served: | Free Area of the Republic of China |
| Membership: | Active and retired Catholic bishops of Taiwan |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Archbishop Thomas Chung |
| Main Organ: | Conference |
| Parent Organization: | Catholic Church (Latin Church) |
| Affiliations: | Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences |
| Website: | catholic.org.tw |
The Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference (CRBC;),[1] is the episcopal conference of Taiwan and is the highest organ of the Catholic Church in Greater China. Catholics in the independent jurisdictions of Hong Kong, Macau and Mongolia are represented in the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, not the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference.[2]
When Archbishop Paul Yü of Nanking attended the Second Vatican Council in 1965, Pope John XXIII proposed the development of the Chinese Catholic Church on Taiwan due to the situation of the Church on Mainland China. Part of this development would be to re-establish Catholic schools such as the Catholic University in Peking on Taiwan as well as creating a Chinese episcopal conference. Therefore, the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference (天主教中國主教團) was established in 1967[3] and would serve as the national bishops' conference for all territories claimed by the Government of the Republic of China. In 1973, bishops from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines gathered at Fu Jen Catholic University for the inaugural meeting of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.
In 1998, the conference adopted its current name to reflect the geopolitical situation and remains the only Chinese episcopal conference sanctioned by the Vatican. The Holy See's Secretariat of State requested that the conference change its name to the Taiwan Region Catholic Bishops Conference.[4] The name change implies a decreased status for the conference.
The conference is led by a president, vice president, and secretary-general. The Secretariat, the highest administrative unit, contains the following 10 commissions:
President: Most Reverend John Lee Keh-Mien (李克勉), Bishop of Hsinchu
Vice President: Most Reverend Peter Liu (劉振忠), Bishop of Kaohsiung
Note: The Archbishop of Taipei has also overseen the Apostolic Administration of Kinma since 1968.