10 or more underground bishops secretly consecrated since Vatican-China deal: report

(LifeSiteNews) — An underground Chinese Catholic bishop claimed in a new report that “at least 10” underground bishops have been secretly consecrated since the signing of the Vatican-China deal to preserve the faith in Communist China.

During an interview with Catholic World Report (CWR) on the state of the Church in China published August 23, the underground bishop, who is unaffiliated with the official Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and chose to remain anonymous, highlighted that “at least 10 new” underground bishops have been secretly consecrated in the Fujian region since the Sino-Vatican deal was codified in 2018 to ensure the faith’s survival during a “state of emergency.”

The bishop also noted the Vatican’s approval of CCP-selected bishops under the deal, underscoring how this has led Chinese Catholics to question the Vatican’s concern for them.

The bishop said that while the exact number of these secretly consecrated bishops for the underground faithful is unknown, he suggested it has been “at least 10 new bishops.” His Excellency also stressed that the secret consecrations began due to concerns that “the integrity of the Catholic faith will suffer” under increased government control as a result of the Vatican-China deal.

The officially secret Sino-Vatican deal signed in 2018 is believed to recognize the state-approved “church” in China and to allow the CCP to appoint bishops. The pope apparently retains veto power, though in practice the CCP has control. It also allegedly allows the removal of legitimate bishops and their replacement with CCP-approved bishops.

READ: China-Vatican deal on bishops is ‘escalating repression’ of Catholics: Human Rights Watch

Thus, the deal makes it much easier for the CCP to force Chinese Catholics to conform to its ideology. The deal was most recently renewed in 2024 for a four-year term.

The underground bishop also told CWR that the Chinese faithful question the Vatican’s concern for their spiritual well-being given its recognition of CCP-selected bishops. His Excellency emphasized in particular the case of two priests, Father Wu Jianlin and Father Li Jianlin, who were “elected” as auxiliary bishops of Shanghai and Xinxiang during the papal interregnum last year.

After his election to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV recognized the men as bishops, which the underground bishop notes the Chinese faithful have not forgotten.

Pope Leo has continued to recognize the bishops selected by the CCP. Indeed, in July, the pontiff approved the consecrations of Joseph Chang Yanfeng as bishop of Inner Mongolia and of Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun as the ordinary of Bameng under the stipulations of the secret deal with the CCP.

READ: New Chinese bishop approved by Pope Leo, CCP officially consecrated

In the roughly eight years since the Vatican signed its secret deal with China, several prominent Catholic prelates, including Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong, have sharply criticized the agreement. The 94-year-old cardinal once described the agreement as an “incredible betrayal” of China’s Catholics and even accused the Vatican of “selling out” the Chinese faithful.

“They’re giving the flock into the mouths of the wolves. It’s an incredible betrayal,” Zen told Reuters in 2018. “The consequences will be tragic and long-lasting, not only for the church in China but for the whole church because it damages the credibility.”