Pope Leo confirms second Chinese Bishop in a week

Pope Leo XIV has confirmed a second Chinese bishop within a single week under the provisional agreement between the Holy See and Beijing.

On July 29, Father Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun, 45, was ordained coadjutor bishop of Bameng in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The Vatican announced that Pope Leo had approved his candidacy the previous month.

This follows the recent ordination of Bishop Joseph Chang Yanfeng as bishop of Chifeng, also in Inner Mongolia, making it the second episcopal appointment in the region in just one week under the same framework.

The provisional agreement, first signed in 2018 and most recently renewed in October 2024 for four years, allows Chinese authorities a role in proposing candidates while giving the Pope the final say on appointments.

Bishop Duan was born in Inner Mongolia in 1980 and ordained a priest in 2011.

He studied in mainland China and Taiwan and most recently served as the principal deputy to the bishop of Bameng.

The successive appointments highlight the ongoing, carefully managed diplomatic engagement between the Vatican and Beijing on one of the most sensitive issues in their relationship: the appointment of Catholic bishops in China.