Wed Jun 11 13:18:12 UTC 2025: ## News Article:
**Pope Leo XIV Upholds Vatican-China Bishop Agreement with First Appointment**
**Vatican City – June 11, 2025** – In a move signaling continuity with his predecessor, Pope Leo XIV has made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop under the controversial 2018 Vatican-China agreement. The Vatican announced the recognition by Chinese authorities of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou on Wednesday.
The Vatican released a statement expressing satisfaction, stating that Lin’s official installment and the civic recognition of his appointment, “constitutes a further fruit of the dialogue between the Holy See and the Chinese authorities and is a significant step in the diocese’s communal journey.”
The landmark 2018 deal, brokered under Pope Francis, aimed to bridge the divide between the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Church and the underground church loyal to Rome, which had been separated since the Communist rise to power and the subsequent severing of diplomatic ties. At the center of the dispute was the right to appoint bishops.
The agreement, the details of which remain undisclosed, allows the state-controlled church a role in selecting its leaders, while Pope retains the power to veto any candidate.
Despite the Vatican’s hopes for unity, the deal has drawn criticism, particularly from conservative Catholics who argue that the Vatican has conceded too much to Beijing and abandoned the underground faithful. Pope Leo, history’s first American Pope, faced the pressure of deciding whether to renew the accord, or to make changes as conservatives were hoping for.
The agreement has been renewed periodically since its inception, despite reports of unilateral appointments by Beijing without papal consent. The issue reached a boiling point just prior to the conclave that elected Pope Leo, when the Chinese church proceeded with the preliminary selection of two bishops.
The latest appointment of Bishop Lin suggests Pope Leo XIV is committed to maintaining the dialogue with China and continuing the efforts to unify the estimated 12 million Catholics in the country. It remains to be seen how he will address the criticisms and apparent violations surrounding the implementation of the agreement moving forward.
First Piper 