The ordination of Bishop Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun as coadjutor bishop of Bameng is the latest episcopal appointment carried out under the provisional agreement between the Holy See and China.

Father Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was ordained Wednesday as coadjutor bishop of Bameng in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after being appointed by Pope Leo XIV on June 15 under the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.

Duan’s episcopal ordination was the second connected to appointments made public by the Vatican within the space of a week.

The pope also appointed Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng as the new bishop of Chifeng, another diocese in Inner Mongolia, on June 15. Chang was also ordained a bishop Wednesday, although the Vatican announced his appointment on July 22, while Duan’s appointment was made public this week.

The Holy See Press Office said Duan, 45, was appointed coadjutor bishop of Bameng after the Holy Father approved his candidacy through the procedures established by the Vatican-Beijing agreement governing the appointment of bishops in China.

Biography

Duan was born Dec. 6, 1980, in Hangjin Houqi, Inner Mongolia. He studied at the Hebei theological seminary from 2000 to 2007.

He later continued his academic studies at Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University between 2008 and 2013.

Duan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Bameng on Jan. 1, 2011. He subsequently studied at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan from 2013 to 2016.

After returning to his diocese, he served as director of the local formation center from 2016 to 2020. He was later appointed vicar general of the Diocese of Bameng and pastor of the diocesan cathedral, positions he held until his episcopal appointment.

Duan’s ordination represents another step in cooperation between the Holy See and Chinese authorities over the filling of episcopal sees.

The bilateral agreement, first signed in 2018, regulates the process for selecting and recognizing Catholic bishops in China.

The Holy See and China have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1951, following the rise to power of Mao Zedong’s communist government. Chinese Catholics subsequently became divided between the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and an underground Catholic community that remained loyal to Rome.

The full text of the 2018 agreement has never been made public. It was renewed every two years until 2024, when the two sides extended it for four years, through 2028.

Under the publicly understood terms of the agreement, the pope retains the final decision on episcopal appointments in China and may reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, for its part, agreed not to appoint bishops without the prior approval of the Chinese government.

Tensions during papal interregnum

During the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, Chinese authorities unilaterally selected two bishops, including one for a diocese already led by a prelate recognized by the Vatican.

On April 28, 2025, Father Wu Jianlin was elected auxiliary bishop of Shanghai by Church organizations controlled by the Chinese state. The following day, Father Li Jianlin was selected as bishop of Xinxiang in Henan province.

Li’s selection caused controversy because the Holy See already recognized Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of the diocese.

Although the selections may have been planned before Francis’ death, their timing attracted the attention of observers.

AsiaNews reported that the decisions conveyed a clear message from the Chinese Communist Party: A vacant papal see would not affect the operation of the Catholic Church in China.

With Duan’s appointment and episcopal ordination, 16 Chinese Catholic bishops have now been ordained under the provisional agreement signed by China and the Holy See during the pontificate of Francis.

Chinese episcopal appointments under Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV has closely followed the appointment and ordination of Chinese bishops. Drawing on his years of missionary and pastoral service, the pope has shown particular concern that Catholics in China be able to practice their faith in peace, proclaim the Gospel, and help heal divisions that remain within the local Church.

He has also emphasized the importance of safeguarding ecclesial communion and unity with the successor of Peter as the visible guarantee of communion between the bishops and the universal Church.

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Leo has advanced several episcopal appointments in China and entrusted new responsibilities to bishops who had already been ordained.

On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the civil recognition and installation of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province. Pope Leo XIV had made the appointment on June 5. Lin welcomed the decision and expressed his willingness to cooperate in the diocese’s pastoral mission.

On July 8, 2025, Leo suppressed the Dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which Pope Pius XII had established in 1946, and created the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as a suffragan see of Beijing.

Two months later, on Sept. 10, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui, whom the pope had appointed to lead the new diocese, received episcopal ordination.

Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on Oct. 15, 2025, after Leo appointed him to the position on Aug. 11.

Father Francis Li Jianlin was ordained bishop of Xinxiang in Henan province on Dec. 5, 2025, after being appointed by the pope on Aug. 11.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.