Summary
On December 5, Pope Leo XIII appointed two new bishops in China without consulting the Vatican. The first was Ignatius Wu Jianlin, the new auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, who previously faced harassment by Chinese authorities due to his stance against Beijing’s interference with religious affairs. This appointment came after a similar one before when news leaked about “elections” for two positions during the interregnum between Pope Francis and Leo XIII. In response, the Vatican issued a statement acknowledging the appointment but also mentioned the resignation of Zhang Weizhu, who had previously served as bishop in Xinxiang. The Chinese Church’s official agency released its own statement regarding the appointment, which was dated earlier than the actual decision made by Pope Leo XIII on August 11. Both statements were silent about Pope Leo XIII’s approval or rejection of these appointments according to an agreement between Rome and Beijing.
Key Topics
Vatican City, Pope Leo, Chinese bishops
