Bureau 9 in China, following the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), also known as the Anti-Defection and Counter-Surveillance Bureau, is one of the most dangerous and important intelligence agencies in China. It plays a pivotal role in implementing the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy to control religions, particularly the Catholic Church, as part of its policy of Sinicization (the domestication of religions) in China. In this regard, Bureau 9 is a highly technical intelligence agency that focuses primarily on counter-espionage, protecting the security of Chinese personnel abroad, and monitoring foreign infiltration. In the context of activities related to the Vatican and Taiwan, the bureau operates within a broader Chinese strategy aimed at securing strategic interests and weakening any external political or religious influence that could threaten the Chinese Communist Party.
Bureau 9 of the Chinese Ministry of State Security works to neutralize the Vatican’s influence as part of Beijing’s efforts to consolidate its control. Within China, the Catholic Church is subjected to scrutiny through the monitoring of Catholic institutions. Bureau 9 closely monitors Vatican-affiliated educational, charitable, and missionary institutions, classifying them as potential centers of foreign influence against China, particularly in Africa and the region surrounding China. In this context, groups supported by China (believed to be overseen by the Chinese state security apparatus, including Bureau 9) have been linked to cyberattacks on Vatican and Hong Kong Catholic networks to gain an advantage in negotiations concerning the appointment of bishops. Bureau 9 intervenes to ensure that agreements are implemented in China’s favor and to ensure that underground (pro-Vatican) churches are integrated into the official, state-controlled Chinese Catholic Church, known as the National Front of Chinese Catholics, which is under the supervision of the Chinese Communist Party. Bureau 9 also verifies that Chinese Catholic clergy adhere to the Chinese line in Catholic worship, rather than the Vatican line, within places of worship.
On the other hand, the Vatican intelligence apparatus, historically known as the Holy Alliance, is considered one of the oldest and most secretive and influential information networks in the world since its founding in 1566. The Vatican relies on a vast diplomatic network (the Apostolic Nuncios), priests, monks, and the Order of Malta to gather and analyze information globally. The Vatican’s intelligence apparatus, in terms of its history and origins, was founded in 1566 and evolved to include a counterintelligence unit known as the Sodalitium Pianum (SP), which was established in 1913. Vatican intelligence relies not only on technical means but also on human intelligence (HUMINT); through confessions from priests and reports from bishops around the world, especially in conflict zones, the Vatican’s strategic focus is on gathering political and social information to serve papal diplomacy and monitor global trends that affect the Church. The Swiss Guard and the Gendarmerie (formerly under the command of Domenico Gianni) are responsible for internal security, the official security structure, counterintelligence, and protecting the Pope. Vatican intelligence also cooperates internationally with numerous other intelligence agencies. The Vatican’s history includes intelligence cooperation with international powers, such as its partnership with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Cold War, although the relationship is currently strained. Vatican intelligence also operates through a number of other diplomatic fronts, and the Order of Malta is considered an independent entity that serves as a diplomatic and intelligence front for the Vatican. Several intelligence reports and analyses describe Vatican intelligence as the best and most powerful political organization on earth, combining spirituality with sophisticated diplomatic and intelligence work.
The Ninth Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of State Security and its affiliated agencies focus on monitoring Vatican activities inside and outside China and overseeing the Vatican’s role in supervising Catholic churches in Taiwan. The Ninth Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of State Security monitors the activities of the Vatican-affiliated underground Catholic Church within China, operating outside the authority of the official Chinese government-controlled National Catholic Association. This bureau works to restrict the power of the independent Catholic Church by tracking and monitoring Catholics and clergy loyal to the Vatican within the underground church who refuse to join the state-run National Catholic Association. The Ninth Bureau also exerts pressure to merge the two Catholic Churches (the one affiliated with the Pope in China and the one affiliated with the Chinese state) into a single entity. It employs various security measures to force the underground Catholic bishops and priests affiliated with the Vatican to accept official Chinese government appointments for bishops and priests within the Catholic Church in China, thus circumventing the authority and interference of the Pope. To this end, Bureau IX monitors communications between Catholic Christians in China and the Vatican. It oversees all online religious activities and communication between Catholic priests in China and the Vatican, particularly as China has imposed new restrictions prohibiting online religious activities without prior approval.
Bureau IX also monitors Vatican activities outside China (securing missions) by combating foreign infiltration. It is responsible for detecting and countering attempts by Western intelligence agencies or the Vatican to gather information or influence Chinese personnel. Bureau IX also engages in digital surveillance (cyberattacks). Previous reports indicate that hackers linked to the Chinese government (under the supervision of security agencies) targeted Vatican email servers and those of Catholic missions, especially before negotiations for the appointment of bishops and the Chinese government’s determination to appoint them within China, bypassing Vatican authority. The Ninth Bureau also works on securing personnel abroad. Here, the Ninth Bureau monitors any church activity that might be considered a threat to Chinese national security within the framework of President Xi Jinping’s vision.
The Ninth Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of State Security also monitors the Vatican’s role in overseeing churches in Taiwan, particularly given the escalating tensions between the Chinese Communist Party and the Vatican. This tension stems from the Vatican’s official recognition of Taiwan and its non-compliance with the One China principle. Therefore, the Ninth Bureau is working to isolate Taiwan diplomatically from the Vatican’s authority. It seeks to sever diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Vatican, considering Taiwan an integral part of China, and to monitor any Taiwanese church support for separatist movements in China.
To achieve this, the Chinese Ninth Bureau exerts pressure in negotiations regarding the appointment of bishops between the Chinese government and the Vatican. This stems from the Chinese authorities’ determination to appoint Catholic bishops within China, ensuring their loyalty to the pro-government National Association of Chinese Catholics, rather than to the shadow church in China that is secretly aligned with the Vatican. The Ninth Bureau uses the issue of bishop appointments in China to diminish the Vatican’s influence in Taiwan. Taiwan fears that the Vatican’s rapprochement with Beijing (reinforced by the secret 2018 agreement on consultations regarding the appointment of Catholic bishops within China) could lead to its diplomatic abandonment. Therefore, the Ninth Bureau monitors communication channels between the Vatican and the Catholic Church in Taiwan, tracking any meetings or financial flows from the Vatican to Taiwan through unofficial church channels.
Basedon the preceding analysis, we conclude that the Ninth Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of State Security acts as an intelligence arm to ensure that the Catholic Church within China serves the Communist Party’s agenda. It utilizes both technical and human resources to monitor the Vatican as a foreign force interfering in internal affairs, with a particular focus on severing the connection between Chinese Catholics, Taiwanese Catholics, and the authority of the Pope in the Vatican.
