China has a new bishop. Giuseppe Chang Yanfeng, 42, was appointed by the Chinese authorities in March (!) and approved by Pope Leo XIV alledgely in June under the Vatican-China agreement before being ordained bishop of Chifeng today.
Leo XIV Approves Bishop Unilaterally Selected by Chinese Authorities in March
Today, Rev. Joseph Chang Yanfeng was consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Chifeng in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The Vatican bulletin announced the consecration today and stated that Pope Leo XIV had approved Chang's candidacy on June 15.
The Vatican statement does not mention that Chang had already been elected bishop-designate in China on March 20, 2026, reports AsiaNews.it.
The episcopal see of Chifeng had been vacant for twenty years.
Career Entirely Within the State-Controlled Church
Born on April 4, 1984, in Beizhen, Liaoning Province, Chang Yanfeng belongs entirely to China's state-recognized religious structure.
He studied at Shenyang Theological Seminary from 2000 to 2006. He entered the seminary at just sixteen years old. Shenyang is the major seminary of the Chinese state religion in northeast China.
From 2007 to 2010, he was permitted to pursue graduate studies at the Catholic University of Daejeon in South Korea. Overseas theological study by mainland Chinese …More
The Pope has approved another bishop under the Vatican’s deal with China, a policy critics say has accelerated the persecution of the underground Church.
Leo XIV. benutzt das Kirchenrecht willkürlich. Kommunistisch ernannte Bischöfe sind ihm lieb, die der FSSPX hasst er.
China has a new bishop. Giuseppe Chang Yanfeng, 42, was appointed by the Chinese authorities in March (!) and approved by Pope Leo XIV alledgely in June under the Vatican-China agreement before being ordained bishop of Chifeng today.
A patriotic bishop unilaterally selected by a communist regime is no problem whatsoever for the Holy See. Traditionalists are.
Pope Leo approves without a word. The stones are crying out .
It's a strange world. Poor Jesus; one crucifixion obviously isn't enough for some.
Hopefully both his vocation and subsequent formation were genuine. Or, at least as genuine as possible in that communism-poisoned land.