Leo XIV creates a new diocese in China in the middle of dispute with Beijing

Pope Leo XIV has created a new Catholic diocese in northern China with the same name as an established decades by Beijing without the approval of the Vatican, which underlines the current tensions on how China has unilaterally redraws the Catholic diocesan borders without the consent of Rome.

The Vatican announced on Wednesday that the Pope has suppressed two historic dioceses, Xiwanzi and Xuanhua – eranged in 1946 by Pope Pius XII – and replaced them with the diocese of Zhangjiakou.

The headquarters of the new diocese is located in the city of Zhangjiakou, where the Catholic Association controlled by the Chinese State established in 1980 its own diocese, with limits never recognized by the Holy See.

He caught the attention that Mons. Agustín Cui Tai, 75, bishop “clandestine” of Xuanhua – the diocese now suppressed – who has suffered repeated arrests, house arrest and forced labor during the last three decades, according to a recent report, would not be mentioned in the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV appointed as the new bishop of the Diocese of Zhangjiakou, in the province of Hebei, to Fr. José Wang Zhengui, elected within the framework of the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the Chinese government on the appointment of Bishops, also known as the “Vatican-China Agreement”.

The announcement of the Vatican came a few hours after Fr. Wang, 62, was consecrated Bishop of Zhangjiakou on September 10, at a mass in the church of the Holy Family of that city, which was attended by about 300 faithful, 50 priests and leaders of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. As indicated by the Holy See, Pope León had appointed Wang on July 8.

“In order to promote the pastoral care of the Lord’s flock and serve more effectively to his spiritual well -being, on July 8, 2025 Pope Leo XIV decided to suppress the dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi in Continental China, which had been erected on April 11, 1946 by Pope Pius XII,” said the press office of the Holy See in his statement. “In this way, the territory of the diocese of Zhangjiakou corresponds to that of the capital city of Zhangjiakou.”

The new diocese includes 14 districts and counties around the city of Zhangjiakou, an area of ​​36,000 square kilometers with a population of just over 4 million inhabitants, including about 85,000 Catholics served by 89 priests. It will be suffragan of the Archdiocese of Beijing.

Without mention to the bishop pursued

The announcement of the Holy See notedly omitted any reference to the current clandestine bishop of the suppressed diocese of Xuanhua. Bishop CUI has been arrested four times since the signing of the agreement between China and the Vatican in 2018 and has not been seen since it was taken in police custody in April 2021, according to a 2024 report of the Hudson Institute.

His diocese had repeatedly asked his release, but without success. Asia News reported that the Catholic clergy in Hebei was notified that a “retirement” ceremony will be held for CUI, who is currently 75 years old, on September 12.

China’s disputed diocesan borders

The announcement highlights a long -standing problem in the relations between the Vatican and China: the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, sponsored by the Government, redrawed the diocesan borders to make them coincide with the state administrative divisions. This new diocesan map does not match the canonical jurisdictions of the Vatican.

The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is a state agency under the control of the Labor Department of the United Front of the Chinese Communist Party.

Before the decision of Pope Leo XIV, Beijing recognized 104 dioceses, while the Holy See accounted for 143 Catholic dioceses in China. Although the agreement between the Vatican and China of 2018 – wrapped by Pope Francis in October 2024 – seeks to fill the vacancies through a shared process of appointing bishops, their details remain secret.

Vatican officials have previously recognized that Beijing has violated the agreement on multiple occasions.

Pope Leo XIV about China

During the pontificate of Pope Francis, the Vatican received criticism for what some considered a too weak 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.

On May 1, new restrictions imposed by the United China Front that prohibit foreign clergy to preside over religious activities for Chinese citizens without the Government’s invitation, which severely limits the foreign missionary activity in the country, entered into force. Meanwhile, Catholic institutions authorized by the State in China barely recognized the death of Pope Francis.

Pope Leo XIV, who inherited the agreement between the Vatican and China from Francisco, has kept Cardinal Pietro Parolin, architect of the pact as secretary, although it is not yet clear how relations between the Vatican and China could evolve under the new Pontiff.

Cardinal Stephen Chow, bishop of Hong Kong, who met with Pope Leo XIV on September 2, told his diocesan newspaper, the Sunday Examinerthat “the Holy Father does not completely ignore the situation of the Church in China, since he has already gathered information from multiple sources and through the Sino-Vatican Agreement.”

Leo XIV also visited continental China before being elected Pope, when he served as the general superior of the Augustinian order.

“He recognizes the importance of dialogue between the Church and the authorities of continental China, and considers that respectful communication is the priority to address the challenges in relations between China and the Vatican,” said Cardinal Chow.

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