China “chooses” two priests as Catholic bishops after the death of Pope Francis

While the Catholic Church crosses a period of vacant headquarters, the Chinese authorities have taken measures to affirm the autonomy of the Church in China with respect to Rome through the unilateral “election” of two bishops, even in a diocese already directed by a bishop designated by the Vatican.

On April 28, Fr. Wu Jianlin, Vicar General of Shanghai, was elected new auxiliary bishop of the city by an assembly of local priests. The next day, Fr. Li Jianlin was “chosen” bishop of the Diocese of Xinxiang.

Until Thursday afternoon it had not been informed if anyone has been invested Bishop.

Both appointments occur when the Vatican is in a vacancy period, because of the death of Pope Francis, and during which he cannot ratify the episcopal nominations. The conclave to choose the next pontiff is scheduled for May 7.

These appointments in China will represent an initial diplomatic challenge for the new Pope.

The appointment in Xinxiang is particularly controversial. The Vatican already recognizes Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of the diocese. Surely appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1991, Zhang has dedicated decades to the Ministry without the approval of the Chinese State and has been arrested multiple times.

He was last arrested in 2021 while recovering from cancer surgery and remains in custody without trial, according to a 2024 report by the Hudson Institute.

Fr. Li Jianlin, elected bishop of the diocese in the eyes of Beijing, has an alignment history with the Communist Party. In 2018 he signed a directive that prohibited minors from attending Mass in Henan province. His appointment is seen by observers as an open challenge to the authority of the Vatican, especially given the presence of a acting bishop already appointed by Rome.

This measure highlights the fragile often opaque relationship between the Vatican and Beijing. A 2018 provisional agreement between both parties, recently renewed in October 2024, aims to regulate the appointment of bishops in China through a joint process.

While the terms of the agreement have never been made public, Asia News reported that, even under the agreement between the Vatican and China, Beijing used to present a single candidate for the Vatican, chosen by the assemblies of the clergy affiliated with the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which the Pope could approve or reject.

In recent years, Vatican officials have recognized that Beijing has violated the agreement on multiple occasions.

Bishop Shen Bin, installed by the Chinese authorities in Shanghai in 2023 without the approval of the Vatican, was subsequently recognized by Pope Francis “for the good of the diocese”, a concession that generated controversy. Wu’s appointment this week as Shen’s auxiliary bishop seems to consolidate its power in Shanghai.

The Vatican was criticized during Francisco’s pontificate, so some consider a silenced response to human rights abuses in China, including the internment of Uigures Muslims and the imprisonment of Catholic activist Prodemocracy Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.

Human rights groups have also documented continuous persecution against the clandestine Catholic clergy, with seven bishops currently detained without trial.

On May 1 they entered into force New restrictions of the United China Front that prohibits the foreign clergy from presiding over religious activities for the Chinese people without the Government’s invitation, which severely limits the foreign missionary activity in the country.

Meanwhile, state Catholic institutions in China barely recognized the death of Pope Francis.

The Patriotic Catholic Association was mentioned in its website, while more relevance was given to the 76th anniversary of the communist victory in Nanjing. On April 23, Nanjing Catholics gathered to honor the fallen soldiers of the popular liberation army, without mentioning the late Pontiff in the event, according to the Bitter Winter blog.

As the conclave approaches, the way in which the new Pope manages the complex relationship with Beijing and responds to the episcopal appointments made without Rome will probably define the following phase of the Vatican diplomacy with China.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.