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China gets new Catholic bishop, as Pope Leo continues deal over appointments
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 11, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 11, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
A new Catholic bishop was installed in Fuzhou, marking the continuation of the Vatican-China accord under Pope Leo, aiming for reconciliation.
By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -A new assistant Catholic bishop was installed on Wednesday for Fuzhou, the capital of China's southeastern Fujian province, signalling that the Vatican's accord with Beijing over Catholic bishop appointments will continue under Pope Leo.
Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan, 73, was appointed by Leo within the framework of a diplomatic deal originally struck in 2018 that gives Chinese officials some input into papal appointments.
Michel Chambon, an academic who has written extensively on the Chinese Church, said Wednesday's installation indicates that both parties want to continue with the accord.
"It is a willingness to support reconciliation instead of antagonism," said Chambon, a research fellow at the Asia Research Institute in Singapore.
Some conservative Catholics have criticized the Vatican-China deal, which was negotiated under the late Pope Francis. The critics say it gives too much influence to China's ruling communists, who have kept a tight rein on religious practice since taking power in 1949.
The Vatican stresses that the pope retains final decision-making power and says the accord resolves a decades-long split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association.
Yuntuan had previously been ordained a bishop in the underground church in 2017. The Vatican said in a brief statement that it had "learned with satisfaction" that his role had been officially recognised by the government.
"This event constitutes another fruit of the dialogue between the Holy See and Chinese authorities and is a significant step," it said.
As part of Wednesday's ceremony, Yuntuan swore to abide by Chinese laws and to safeguard social harmony, according to a report on social media provided by the Catholic Patriotic Association.
Across China there are about 5 million Catholics in a total population of 1.4 billion, the Vatican estimates.
The Vatican and China last renewed their accord in October 2024, for a further period of four years. The text of the deal has never been published, but only described by diplomatic officials.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, editing by Alvise Armellini and Sharon Singleton)
Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan, 73, was appointed as the new assistant Catholic bishop for Fuzhou.
The accord, originally struck in 2018, allows Chinese officials some input into papal appointments and aims to resolve a split between the underground church and the state-sanctioned church.
During the ceremony, Yuntuan swore to abide by Chinese laws and to safeguard social harmony, as reported by the Catholic Patriotic Association.
The Vatican estimates that there are about 5 million Catholics in China, which has a total population of 1.4 billion.
The Vatican and China last renewed their accord in October 2024, extending it for another four years.
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