Vatican and Beijing agree on new China bishop as ordination fills 20-year vacancy

The Vatican and Beijing have reached an agreement on the ordination of Joseph Chang Yanfeng as the new bishop of Chifeng, located in China's northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region. This event underscores the complex diplomatic relationship between the Holy See and Beijing concerning the sensitive issue of Catholic appointments in China.

Pope Leo XIV officially approved Chang's appointment on June 15, following the terms established by the 2018 provisional agreement between the Vatican and China. The ordination fills a significant vacancy for the Catholic diocese of Chifeng, which has been without a bishop for nearly twenty years since the death of Andreas Zhu Wenyu in 2006. Zhu had been ordained without papal approval, according to AsiaNews.

The ceremony, held on Wednesday, was led by Bishop Paul Meng Qinglu of Hohhot, who also serves as the deputy chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Approximately 400 individuals, including priests, nuns, and lay representatives from across Inner Mongolia, were in attendance to witness the ordination of the 42-year-old priest, who has served as Chifeng's diocesan administrator since 2021.

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Joseph Chang Yanfeng was ordained bishop of Chifeng in China’s northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Wednesday, highlighting the uneasy diplomatic engagement between Beijing and the Vatican on the sensitive issue of Catholic appointments.