Pope Leo XIV appoints his first bishop in China, an auxiliary

This announcement comes after two unilateral appointments of bishops by the Chinese civil authorities during the Sede Vacante period — between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Leo XIV.

On April 28, Father Wu Jianlin, vicar general of the diocese of Shanghai, was “elected” auxiliary bishop of the same diocese. The following day, Father Li Jianlin was chosen as bishop of the diocese of Xinxiang.

These two elections, made public in early May, appeared to contravene the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops concluded between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China in 2018. This agreement has been renewed several times, most recently in 2024 for a period of four years. Although its terms remain confidential, it theoretically provides that the pope has the final say in the appointment of bishops in China.

Starting in 2018, episcopal appointments in China had always respected the terms of this agreement until the unilateral appointment of Bishop Joseph Shen Bin as bishop of Shanghai in April 2023. Since 2022, he has been the president of the Chinese Patriotic Association, the official body of the Catholic Church in China. This acts as a bishops' conference but is not recognized by Rome. His appointment was regularized in July 2023, after the Holy See publicly expressed its surprise and disappointment.

The Holy See did not react to the two unilateral appointments last April. The statement announcing the appointment of Bishop Lin Yuntuan seems to indicate that, this time, the Holy See initiated the process, which China accepted.

It’s important to note that this is the first appointment of an auxiliary bishop under the 2018 agreement — the previous 13 concerned titular bishops. This could explain the unprecedented format of this appointment. Indeed, the procedures governing the appointment of auxiliary bishops  in China are not publicly known. In other countries, these procedures may vary. In France, for example, the Holy See does not consult the state on the appointment of auxiliary bishops, unlike those of titular bishops.

Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan, 73, is originally from Fuqing, a major city in Fujian province. It’s located 31 miles south of his new diocese, Fuzhou, where he attended seminary. This region has a long Catholic tradition: the first bishop of the area, Bishop François Pallu, a member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, was appointed there in 1680. The diocese of Fuzhou is now one of the largest in China, with nearly 300,000 faithful.

Ordained a priest in 1984, Bishop Lin Yuntuan was pastor of several parishes in his diocese until 2002. He then became “diocesan administrator” after the titular bishop, Bishop John Yang Shudao—like him a member of the “underground Church,” recognized by Rome but not by Beijing—had been imprisoned twice in 2001. Long the right-hand man of the diocese's apostolic administrator, Father Yuntuan himself held this position from 2013 to 2017. He was then ordained a bishop with Rome's approval, without being assigned to a diocese.

In 2019, he led a group of 100 priests who decided to join the Patriotic Association, in accordance with the terms of the 2018 agreement. This provides for the gradual rallying of members of the underground Church to the association controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

Last January, Bishop Joseph Cai Bingrui, a member of the Patriotic Association whose episcopal ordination had been recognized by Benedict XVI, was appointed Archbishop of Fuzhou by Pope Francis.