China officially recognizes the Bishop of Tianjin: positive fruit of dialogue with the Holy See

The Holy See expressed its satisfaction after this August 27, Archbishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen was officially recognized as Bishop of Tianjin (municipality in northern China) for the purposes of civil law.

According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, this measure “is a positive result of the dialogue established over the years between the Holy See and the Chinese Government.”

Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen, 94, was born on October 7, 1929, ordained a priest on July 4, 1954, and consecrated Coadjutor Bishop of Tianjin on June 15, 1982.

He was appointed Bishop of Tianjin on June 8, 2019, succeeding Bishop Stephen Li Side. The diocese of Tianjin has about 56,000 faithful, distributed in 21 parishes, served by 62 priests and a considerable number of religious.

Negotiations over the appointment of bishops in China

The recognition of the bishop by Chinese authorities is seen as an important step in complex negotiations over the appointment of bishops in China.

In September 2018, the Vatican and China signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, the content of which has not yet been published. This agreement has been renewed twice, the last one in September 2022.

It should be remembered that in April 2023, Bishop Joseph Shen Bin, Bishop of Haimen, was appointed as the new Bishop of Shanghai by the Council of Chinese Bishops, an episcopal conference controlled by the communist regime, without the approval of the Vatican.

Months later, Pope Francis approved this appointment to stop the crisis with China.