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Bishop Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun, 45, was ordained coadjutor bishop of Bameng in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on July 29, the Holy See Press Office announced.
The Vatican said Pope Leo XIV approved Bishop Duan's appointment on June 15 "within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China."
About 350 priests, women religious and lay Catholics attended the ordination at St. Dominic's Church in Shanba, Bayannur, according to the Vatican news agency
Bishop Paul Meng Qinglu of Hohhot presided over the liturgy. The co-consecrators were Bishop Joseph Yang Xiaoting of Yulin, Bishop Matthias Du Jiang of Bameng, Bishop Anthony Yao Shun of Wulanchabu and Bishop Joseph Chang Yanfeng of Chifeng, who was ordained a week earlier, on July 22.
The ordination is the latest in a series of episcopal appointments made under the Vatican-China agreement, first signed in September 2018 during the pontificate of Pope Francis. It was renewed in 2020 and 2022 before being extended for another four years in October 2024. The text of the agreement has never been made public.
Bishop Duan is the 16th Chinese Catholic bishop ordained in full communion with the pope under the agreement.
The back-to-back ordinations in Inner Mongolia underscore the continuing, and often sensitive, cooperation between the Vatican and Beijing over the appointment of bishops.
Supporters say the agreement has helped preserve dialogue and Church unity in China, while critics question its lack of transparency and its impact on Catholics who have remained loyal to Rome despite decades of persecution.
According to Fides, the entire process leading to Bishop Duan's appointment and ordination took place during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.
Born on Dec. 6, 1980, in Hangjin Houqi, Inner Mongolia, Bishop Duan studied at Hebei Theological Seminary from 2000 to 2007 before pursuing further studies at Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Bameng on Jan. 1, 2011. From 2013 to 2016, he continued his studies at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan.
After returning to Bameng, he served as director of the diocesan formation center from 2016 to 2020 before becoming vicar general and parish priest of the diocesan cathedral.
Fides said Bishop Duan worked closely with Bishop Matthias Du Jiang to meet the pastoral needs of Bameng and neighboring dioceses.
The Catholic community in Bameng traces its modern roots to missionaries of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, commonly known as the Scheut Fathers.
Today, the diocese has about 40,000 Catholics served by some 30 priests and 20 sisters of the Congregation of the Holy Mother.
Church life remains active through catechism classes, clergy and lay retreats, charitable initiatives, youth and vocation groups, pastoral programs and Bible study, according to Fides. The diocese also has an active pastoral council that has organized an annual sacred music concert since 2010.
The Bameng Catholic community has also been active in charitable work. After the devastating 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province, a single parish in Linhe raised 12,777.60 yuan for survivors.
Bishop Duan's ordination marks another step in the evolving relationship between the Vatican and China as both sides continue to navigate the appointment of bishops, one of the most sensitive issues facing the Catholic Church in the country.