Pope Leo XIV appoints new Chinese bishop under deal with Beijing

The Holy See reported that the appointment was made within the framework of the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, under which the pope approved the candidate presented for the diocese. Chang had overseen the local Church since October 2021, when he was named diocesan administrator.

The new bishop was born on April 4, 1984, in Beizhen, Liaoning province, China. He studied at Shenyang Theological Seminary from 2000 to 2006. After a period of pastoral work in Lindong Parish, he continued his academic training at Daejeon Catholic University in South Korea, where he obtained a degree in biblical theology.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Chifeng on November 18, 2010. During the early years of his ministry, he held various positions in the diocesan curia and served in several parishes. He was parish priest of Chifeng Cathedral from 2013 to 2019 and later served in Lindong Parish from 2019 to 2021. He was appointed diocesan administrator of Chifeng on 15 October 2021, a responsibility he retained until his episcopal appointment.

The appointment was made through ongoing dialogue on the implementation of the Holy See-China agreement, signed in 2018 to establish a mutually acceptable process for selecting bishops. The appointment of bishops belongs to the pope, while Beijing has for decades viewed papal appointments as interference in China’s internal affairs.

The Holy See and China have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1951, after the establishment of Mao Zedong’s communist government. Chinese Catholics subsequently became divided between communities registered with the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association and underground communities that remained loyal to Rome.

The full text of the 2018 agreement was never made public. It was renewed every two years until 2024, when the two parties extended it for another four years, until 2028. Under terms that have become publicly known, the pope retains final authority over episcopal appointments in China and can reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, in turn, agreed not to make episcopal appointments without first obtaining approval from the Chinese government.

During the interregnum between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, Chinese authorities proceeded unilaterally to select two bishops, including one for a jurisdiction already led by a prelate recognized by the Vatican. On April 28, 2025, Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was elected auxiliary bishop of Shanghai by state-controlled ecclesiastical bodies. The next day, Father Francis Li Jianlin was selected to lead Xinxiang in Henan Province.

This last decision caused controversy because the Holy See already recognized Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of that local Church. While the selections may have been planned before Francis’ death, their timing has attracted attention. AsiaNews reported that the decisions conveyed the Chinese Communist Party’s position that a vacancy in the Apostolic See would not disrupt the operation of the Catholic Church in China.

With Chang’s episcopal appointment and ordination, 15 Catholic bishops have now been ordained under the interim agreement signed by China and the Holy See during Francis’ pontificate.

The process leading to Chang’s appointment and ordination took place entirely during the pontificate of Leo XIV, providing another indication that the pope intends to continue the path of dialogue between Rome and Beijing. From the beginning of his pontificate, Leo made several episcopal appointments in China and assigned new responsibilities to bishops who had already been ordained.

On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the civil recognition and installation of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province. Leão had appointed him on June 5th. On July 8, 2025, the pope suppressed the dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which Pope Pius XII had established in 1946, and created the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as the suffragan see of Beijing.

Two months later, on September 10, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui, whom the pope had appointed to lead the new diocese, was ordained a bishop. Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on October 15, 2025, after Leo appointed him on August 11. Father Francis Li Jianlin was ordained to lead the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang on December 5, 2025, following his appointment by the pope on August 11.

©2026 Catholic News Agency. Published with permission. Original in English: Pope Leo XIV names another Chinese bishop under Vatican-Beijing agreement https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/pope-leo-xiv-names-another-chinese-bishop-under-vatican-beijing-agreement