On Wednesday, Chinese authorities formally recognized Pope Leo XIV’s 5 June appointment of Monsignor Giuseppe Lin Yuntuan as Auxiliary Bishop of Fuzhou, the first episcopal nomination in China confirmed during the new pontificate.
“It has been learned with satisfaction that today, on the occasion of the taking of possession of the office of Auxiliary Bishop of Fuzhou by His Excellency Monsignor Giuseppe Lin Yuntuan, his episcopal ministry is recognized also for the purposes of civil law,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican Press Office, according to El Cronista.
“This recognition is another fruit of the dialogue between the Holy See and the Chinese authorities and an important step on the path of the diocese in communion with the pope,” stated a Vatican declaration.
Lin, 73, was ordained in the underground church in December 2017. He will assist Monsignor Cai Bingrui, head of the Diocese of Fuzhou. Lin studied at the Fuzhou Diocesan Seminary from 1979 to 1983, was ordained a priest in April 1984, served as diocesan administrator from 2003 to 2007, and acted as Apostolic Administrator until 2016. He later worked in parish leadership, taught in diocesan programs, and sat on diocesan commissions.
The appointment took place within the framework of the provisional 2018 Vatican–China agreement on bishop nominations. The text of the pact has not been published, but it was renewed in October 2024 and now runs until October 2028. Under the arrangement both Rome and Beijing can present candidates, while the pope retains veto power over the final choice.
Leo, the first American pope, must soon decide whether to extend the pact again or adjust its terms. Critics, including Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, argued that the deal handed too much influence to Beijing, which considers bishop appointments a matter of national sovereignty.
During the interregnum between the death of Pope Francis and Leo’s election, local authorities in China conducted preliminary elections for bishops in Shanghai and Xinxiang without Vatican approval, moves that Vatican diplomats cited as evidence of the accord’s fragility.
The Holy See estimated about 12 million Catholics in China, divided between a state-controlled church that rejects papal authority and an underground church loyal to Rome. The 2018 accord sought to regularize seven bishops previously unrecognized by Rome and to ease a rift dating to 1949, when the communist government assumed power.
The Vatican said the deal helped bridge the divide between the underground community and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association while affirming that the pope alone appoints successors to the Apostles. A bilateral commission overseen by Cardinal Pietro Parolin continues to monitor the agreement’s implementation.
Leo’s decision to advance Lin indicated continuity with the diplomatic approach favored by his predecessor. Vatican officials viewed the Fuzhou recognition as proof that dialogue with Beijing, though fragile, still progressed.
In a recent address the pope pledged to work for unity so that the Catholic Church might serve as a sign of peace, a goal now tested as Lin begins public ministry under both civil and ecclesial acknowledgment.
Written with the help of a news-analysis system.