China gets its 11th bishop under Sino-Vatican agreement

The first bishop of the Diocese of Lüliang in China has been consecrated. It is the 11th ordination of a bishop under the special agreement signed between the Vatican and China. The Reverend Antonio Ji Weizhong received his episcopal consecration on 20 January, reports Vatican News. It followed his appointment by Pope Francis on 28 The post China gets its 11th bishop under Sino-Vatican agreement first appeared on Catholic Herald. The post China gets its 11th bishop under Sino-Vatican agreement appeared first on Catholic Herald.

Jan 23, 2025 - 04:00

China gets its 11th bishop under Sino-Vatican agreement

The first bishop of the Diocese of Lüliang in China has been consecrated. It is the 11th ordination of a bishop under the special agreement signed between the Vatican and China.

The Reverend Antonio Ji Weizhong received his episcopal consecration on 20 January, reports Vatican News. It followed his appointment by Pope Francis on 28 October 2024, the same day the creation of the diocese was announced.

Bishop Weizhong, 51, was consecrated at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Fenyang. Bishop Meng Ningyou of Taiyuan, who is vice-president of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), presided over the episcopal ordination ceremony.

Ji was born on 3 August 1973 in Wenshui County, Lüliang. He studied philosophy and theology at the National Catholic Seminary in Beijing from 1995 to 2001, and was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Fenyang in October 2001.

Following his ordination, he pursued language studies at Xi’an University. From 2005 to 2010, he attended the St Augustine Faculty of Philosophy and Theology in Bonn, Germany, where he earned a licentiate in dogmatic theology. Over the years, he has served in various roles, including as parish vicar, head of the diocesan pastoral centre, and vicar-general of the now-suppressed Diocese of Fenyang.

The Diocese of Lüliang has replaced the Diocese of Fenyang, created by Pope Pius XII in 1946. The Diocese of Fenyang existed during a tumultuous period in Sino-Vatican relations, which included all foreign missionaries being expelled from Communist China in 1952 and the establishment in 1957 of the CPCA, which aimed to limit the influence and actions of the Catholic Church in the country.

During the Cultural Revolution – a campaign initiated in 1966 by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Chairman Mao Zedong to implement Maoism in all aspects of Chinese life and that lasted until 1976 – the diocese ceased all activities, as religion was particularly targeted.

In 1962, the CPCA ensured that Bishop Anthony Gao Yong was consecrated without a papal mandate, even though the diocese already had a Vatican-recognised bishop, Bishop Simon Lei Chang-hsia. Bishop Lei served under the Holy See until his death on 16 February 1970, while Bishop Gao ruled under the state-sanctioned church until his death on 11 March 1980.

On 15 July 1982, the CPCA reallocated part of the Diocese of Fenyang’s territory, merging it with sections of the dioceses of Taiyuan and Shuozhou to create the Patriotic Diocese of Xinzhou. The remaining territory was renamed the Diocese of Lüliang, but this was done without the approval of the Holy See.

For more than 11 years, the diocese existed without either a Vatican- or state-appointed bishop, as tensions over episcopal appointments continued. With gradual efforts to rebuild the Church’s presence in China after years of suppression, Bishop John Huo Cheng was finally consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Fenyang on 4 September 1991, with Vatican approval.

In 2018, the Vatican and the CCP signed a provisional two-year agreement on the appointment of bishops. Under the agreement, the Chinese government has a role in recommending bishop candidates, while the Pope is meant to retain final authority to approve or reject them.

The agreement was renewed in 2020 and 2022 for two years each, and again in October 2024 for four years.

Bishop Weizhong’s appointment marks the 11th prelate to be consecrated under this arrangement.
The suppression of the Diocese of Fenyang and the creation of the Diocese of Lüliang – bearing the CPCA’s name for a similar geographical area – appears to demonstrate the Vatican’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to further build relationships with China and its government.