Pope Leo XIV praises Chinese Catholics for unity 100 years after consecration of their first bishops

A century after the consecration of the first Chinese bishops, Pope Leo XIV praised the Church in China for remaining in communion with Rome.

On Nov. 5, the Vatican published a video message from the pontiff during a conference titled “The Universal Face of the Church in China,” held at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. The meeting not only marked the 1926 consecration of China’s first bishops but also reflected on the state of the Chinese church today, particularly regarding the ongoing Vatican-China deal.

Among those present were Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, dean of the College of Cardinals; Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJ, bishop of Hong Kong; and Ignazio Ding Zuyao, bishop of Haimen.

Communion with Peter, not colonialism In his message , Leo noted Chinese Catholics’ long history of fidelity to the papacy, quoting Pope Benedict XVI, who said that they have always had “legitimate pastors who have preserved intact apostolic succession.”

“No shepherd in the Church can claim the mission as his own,” Leo said. “Rather, he receives and exercises it in communion with the successor of Peter and with all the other…