Underground church
The term underground church (Chinese: 地下教会; pinyin: dìxià jiàohuì) is used to refer to Chinese Catholic churches in the People's Republic of China which have chosen not to associate with the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party; they are also called loyal church (Chinese: 忠贞教会; pinyin: zhōngzhēn jiàohuì). "Underground" does not mean the underground church is secret (in contemporary China, the community mostly operates openly) but refers to its lack of official approval and lack of official support.