On Wednesday, June 11, the Vatican announced the appointment of a Chinese bishop, the first under Pope Leo XIV in a move that signals the new pontiffโs endorsement of a contentious agreement on bishop nominations established by his predecessor with Beijing.
The Holy See welcomed Chinaโs acknowledgment of Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou, the capital of southeastern Fujian province. Pope Leo XIV approved the appointment on June 5.
This marks a significant step in Vatican-China relations under the framework of a 2018 agreement, which remains confidential.
Although the Vatican and Chinaโs Communist government lack formal diplomatic ties primarily due to the Holy Seeโs recognition of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, the two sides reached a landmark deal allowing joint input on the selection of Chinese bishops.
The accord covers the estimated 12 million Catholics in China but has faced internal criticism, with detractors warning it grants excessive influence to the Communist Party over Church affairs.
Despite the controversy, the agreement was renewed multiple times during Pope Francisโ tenure, most recently in October 2024 for another four years.
Following Francisโ death, Beijing appointed two bishops in the Shanghai and Xinxiang dioceses, a move some critics interpreted as the Communist Party attempting to exploit the Vaticanโs leadership transition to strengthen its control over the Church in China.
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