Pope Leo XIV names another Chinese bishop under Vatican-Beijing agreement

Pope Leo XIV has appointed another Chinese bishop under the agreement on episcopal appointments reached between the Holy See and authorities in Beijing during the pontificate of Pope Francis.

Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng was ordained Wednesday as the new bishop of Chifeng in China’s Inner Mongolia region, the Vatican announced. Pope Leo approved the appointment June 15.

The Holy See said the appointment was made within the framework of the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, under which the pope approved the candidate presented for the diocese.

Chang had overseen the local Church since October 2021, when he was appointed diocesan administrator.

Formation in China and South Korea The new bishop was born April 4, 1984, in Beizhen in China’s Liaoning province. He studied at the Shenyang Theological Seminary from 2000 to 2006.

After a period of pastoral work at Lindong Parish, he continued his academic formation at the Catholic University of Daejeon in South Korea, where he earned a degree in biblical theology.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Chifeng on Nov. 18, 2010.

During the early years of his ministry, he held…