Despite the Church being in a period of interregnum between the reign of popes, Chinese authorities have made moves to assert the Church in China’s autonomy from Rome by unilaterally “electing” two bishops. Source: National Catholic Register.
On April 28, Fr Wu Jianlin, vicar general of Shanghai, was chosen to be the city’s new auxiliary bishop by an assembly of local priests. The following day, Fr Li Jianlin was “elected” bishop of the Diocese of Xinxiang.
As of late last week, there have been no reports that either priest has been installed as a bishop.
Both appointments come during a sede vacante – the period when the Apostolic See is vacant following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 and a time during which the Holy See is unable to ratify episcopal nominations.
A conclave to elect the next pope is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
These appointments in China will present the new pope with an early diplomatic challenge.
The appointment in Xinxiang is particularly contentious. The Vatican already recognises Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of the diocese.
Appointed clandestinely by Pope John Paul II in 1991, Bishop Zhang has spent decades ministering without state approval and has been arrested multiple times.
He was detained most recently 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, the diocese’s bishop-elect in the eyes of Beijing, has a history of alignment with the Communist Party.
In 2018, he cosigned a directive enforcing a ban on minors attending Mass in Henan province. His appointment is viewed by observers as an overt challenge to Vatican authority, particularly given the presence of a sitting bishop already appointed by Rome.
The move underscores the fragile and often opaque relationship between the Vatican and Beijing. A 2018 provisional agreement between the two sides, renewed most recently in October 2024, is intended to regulate the appointment of bishops in China through a joint process.
In recent years, Vatican officials have acknowledged that Beijing has violated the agreement on multiple occasions.
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2 Priests ‘Elected’ As Catholic Bishops in China After Death of Pope Francis (By Courtney Mares, CNA via National Catholic Register)
