Pope Leo approves new bishop in false Chinese ‘Catholic’ church

(LifeSiteNews) — China today consecrated a bishop of Inner Mongolia with the approval of Pope Leo XIV under the controversial Vatican-China deal. 

Joseph Chang Yanfeng was consecrated in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Meng Qinglu, a vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), a pro-Chinese Communist Party group that oversees the state-controlled “Catholic” church in China, UCA News reported.

“The Holy Father appointed him bishop of Chifeng (Province of Inner Mongolia, China) on 15 June 2026, having approved his candidature within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China,” the Vatican announced Wednesday.

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The officially secret Sino-Vatican deal, signed in 2018, is believed to recognize the state-approved church in China and allows the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to appoint bishops. The Pope apparently maintains veto power, although in practice it is the CCP that has control. It also allegedly allows for the removal of legitimate bishops to be replaced by CCP-approved bishops.

The deal was renewed most recently in 2024 for a four-year period.

Cardinal Joseph Zen, emeritus bishop of Hong Kong, has repeatedly criticized the deal strongly. He described the agreement as an “incredible betrayal” of China’s Catholics and accused the Vatican of “selling out” Chinese Catholics.

He has been supported by numerous activists and China experts, including former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who warned in 2020 that “(t)he Vatican endangers its moral authority, should it renew the deal.”

Additionally, the deal has led to an increase in religious persecution, and the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China has documented this in its annual reports.