Pope Leo XIV this month appointed as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Fuzhou, China, Monsignor Joseph Lin Yuntuan, who was ordained to the episcopate by Pope Francis in 2017. The appointment has also been officially recognized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which had for years, up until this month, not considered him a bishop.
On June 11 Bishop Lin took possession of the office and China officially recognized the civil effects of the appointment.
The events took place “in the framework of the dialogue regarding the application of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China,” the Holy See Press Office announced in a press release.
Fides, the news agency of the Dicastery for Evangelization, reported June 11 about the significance of the CCP’s recognition for local faithful.
“The official recognition of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Fuzhou was a long-awaited event for the local community,” Fides reported. “Until now, the authorities and apparatuses under the Chinese government had not recognized Bishop Lin’s episcopal office.”
The outlet reported that the installation ceremony was attended by representatives of the Bishop’s Conference, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and the Religious Affairs Committee of the Province.
“In the ceremony, Bishop Lin declared his commitment to the Constitution and his desire to help everyone love the country and the Church, to proclaim the Gospel, and promote the unity of the country in harmony by following the principles of ‘Sinicization,’” Fides reported. Bishop Joseph Cai Bingrui of Fuzhou celebrated Mass after the ceremony.
In a separate June 11 release, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni spoke positively of the event.
“We are pleased to learn that today, on the occasion of the taking possession of the Office of Auxiliary Bishop of Fuzhou by His Excellency Monsignor Joseph Lin Yuntuan, his Episcopal Ministry is also recognized for the purposes of civil law,” Bruni stated. “This event constitutes a further fruit of the dialogue between the Holy See and the Chinese Authorities and is an important step in the journey of communion of the Diocese.”
The Vatican and the CCP enacted a secret “provisional agreement” in 2018, which was renewed in 2024, that allows the CCP to propose candidates for bishop ordination, with the final decision being up to the pope. Religious freedom advocates such as Cardinal Joseph Zen, archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong, have harshly criticized the agreement.
In April after Pope Francis had died, China defied the agreement when it “appointed” two new bishops — the moves came while the universal Church was in a period of sede vacante, meaning that the chair of Peter was vacant. The Communist authorities “confirmed” Father Wu Jianlin as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Shanghai and did the same in the Diocese of Xinxiang with Father Li Janlin, as CatholicVote previously reported.
Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu of Xinxiang, who is recognized and approved by the Holy See, has served the underground Church in China and has been arrested “for ministering without state approval,” as CatholicVote previously reported.
Pope Leo has yet to act on the appointments the CCP undertook during the Church’s period of sede vacante.