The Sino-Vatican Agreement Births a New Bishop

It is difficult to see clearly with regard to the provisional agreement concluded in 2018 between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops. The terms are still not known almost seven years after it first came into force. The application of this agreement is also puzzling.

On January 20, 2025, the Holy See announced, in concert with the Chinese authorities, the episcopal consecration of Bishop Antonio Ji Weizhong. The new bishop, 51, is the 11th prelate ordained on Chinese soil according to the terms of the provisional agreement between the Vatican and Beijing, renewed in the autumn of 2024 for a minimum period of four additional years.

Weizhong becomes Bishop of Lüliang, a new diocese located in the province of Shangxi. The Lüliang diocese was born from a recent reorganization of ecclesiastical circumscriptions. As reported by the Fides agency on October 28, 2024, the Vatican announced the suppression of the diocese of Fenyang, created in April 1946 by Pope Pius XII. The Vatican simultaneously erected the new diocese of Lüliang.

On the side of Rome, this territorial reshuffle is part of the “measures aimed at adapting the network of Chinese Catholic dioceses to the current reality of China, by agreeing to modify and accommodate, at least in part, the subdivision of ecclesiastical districts dating from the decades preceding the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China.”

The aim of the operation is, ultimately, to ensure the “service of pastoral care of the Lord’s flock and to discharge its spiritual good more effectively,” according to the statement from the Holy See Press Office. The reality will be a little more complicated.

According to reliable sources, it is likely that the Roman authorities have been once again presented with the fait accompli of a territorial restructuring and an appointment piloted from Zhongnanhai, the heart of the Chinese executive.

As reported by The Pillar, in normal times, the creation of dioceses is not kept secret for months, and new bishops are not normally “appointed” on the day of their consecration. However, this is what happened in this case.

It is a hypothesis that seems to be confirmed implicitly by comments from January 2025, emanating from the number two of the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Secretary of State of the Holy See acknowledged on Vatican News that the Sino-Vatican agreement “did not offer a magic solution,” and that sometimes, there have been “reversals.”

He also invoked a “diplomacy of patience” towards Beijing. They are comments that speak volumes about the reality of the situation when one remembers that the person making them is one of the most seasoned diplomats in the Church.

But, in Rome, there is official rejoicing. Since the conclusion of the provisional agreement, the Chinese practice of appointing new bishops and creating dioceses outside of any dialogue with Rome has largely ceased, even if the successor of Peter is forced to accept the choice of the Chinese government. Moreover, Beijing has, for the first time, agreed to recognize a bishop of the so-called underground Church as the legitimate head of his diocese.

But all this comes at a price: the sinicization of Catholicism in China and its submission – on paper at least – to Maoist totalitarianism. It is a price to pay that is far too high according to the most critical voices of the agreement, including Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, who sees it as a capitulation.