Father Paolo Liu Honggang was ordained bishop of the Diocese of Datong in China's Shanxi province on Monday.
The Holy See said Pope Leo XIV appointed Liu bishop of Datong on Aug. 10 after approving his candidacy under the mechanisms established by the Vatican's agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops.
This marks the third episcopal ordination since June 15 and the seventh episcopal consecration during the pontificate of Leo XIV, although not all episcopal appointments are linked to the current Pontiff. Excluded from the seven are two bishops who had already received episcopal consecration but belonged to the underground church — that is, the church not recognized by China — and were ultimately validated by the authorities of the communist regime.
A life of pastoral service
Liu was born Nov. 2, 1970, in Wufuying village near Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province.
He began his priestly formation at the Fenyang seminary, where he studied from 1988 to 1992. He later attended the National Seminary in Beijing from 1992 to 1996, earning a bachelor's degree in theology.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Datong on Nov. 24, 1996.
Following his ordination, Liu served as pastor of Zhangguantun from December 1996 to 1999, Xubao from 2000 to 2003, and Xihehe from 2003 to 2005.
He had served as diocesan administrator of Datong since March 15, 2005.
Appointments under Leo XIV
The process leading to Liu's appointment and episcopal ordination took place entirely during Leo's pontificate, providing another sign that the pope intends to continue dialogue between Rome and Beijing.
Several episcopal appointments and recognitions have taken place in China since Leo's election.
On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the Chinese government's civil recognition and installation of Bishop Giuseppe Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province.
Lin, however, was not ordained a bishop during Leo's pontificate, having received episcopal ordination in 2017. Pope Leo XIV appointed him auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou on June 5, 2025, before Chinese authorities granted him civil recognition.
On July 8, 2025, Leo suppressed the Dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which had been established by Pope Pius XII in 1946, and erected the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as a suffragan see of Beijing.
Two months later, on Sept. 10, Father Giuseppe Wang Zhengui, whom the pope had appointed to lead the new diocese, was ordained a bishop.
Recognition of two 'underground' bishops by China
Separately, on September 12, 2025, the Chinese government recognized two "underground" bishops — that is, bishops loyal to Rome and appointed by the Pope.
They are Msgr. José Ma Yanen, 65, formerly the underground bishop of Xiwanzi, who is now the auxiliary bishop of the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou in Hebei province; and Msgr. Agostino Cui Tai, 75, previously the bishop of Xuanhua — the other diocese suppressed by Pope Leo XIV to create the Diocese of Zhangjiakou. As he is over 70 years old, the Vatican considers Msgr. Cui Tai to be a bishop emeritus.
2026 appointments
In 2026, Father Francesco Saverio Duan Yongkun was ordained coadjutor bishop of Bameng in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after Leo appointed him on June 15 under the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China.
The pope also appointed Father Giuseppe Chang Yanfeng on June 15. Chang was subsequently ordained bishop of Chifeng, another diocese in Inner Mongolia.
Tensions during the sede vacante
Chinese authorities unilaterally selected two bishops during the sede vacante following Pope Francis' death, including one for a diocese already headed by a bishop recognized by the Holy See.
Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on Oct. 15, 2025, after Pope Leo XIV formally appointed him to the post on Aug. 11.
Chinese authorities had previously announced Wu's election by an assembly of priests and laypeople on April 28, during the sede vacante.
The Holy See's later announcement revealed that Leo had approved the nomination Aug. 11. Although the appointment was not immediately made public, the Vatican announcement indicated that the case was ultimately brought within the framework of the Holy See-China agreement.
Francis Li Jianlin was likewise ordained bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang in Henan province on Dec. 5, 2025, after Leo formally appointed him Aug. 11.
Li was the second bishop whose candidacy had been advanced by Chinese authorities during the sede vacante.
17 bishops ordained under Vatican-China agreement
With Liu's ordination, 17 Catholic bishops have now been ordained in China under the Provisional Agreement first signed between the Holy See and China during Pope Francis' pontificate.
The bilateral agreement, first signed in 2018, regulates the process for selecting and recognizing Catholic bishops in China.
The Holy See and China have not maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1951, following the communist takeover under Mao Zedong. Chinese Catholics subsequently became divided between the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and an underground Catholic community that remained loyal to Rome.
The full text of the agreement has never been made public.
It was renewed every two years until 2024, when the two sides extended it for four years, through 2028.
According to publicly known elements of the agreement, the pope retains the final authority over episcopal appointments in China, including the ability to reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, meanwhile, has agreed not to make episcopal appointments without prior consultation with the Chinese government.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English. At 3:38 p.m. ET Aug. 31, the article was further updated to better distinguish between the number of Chinese bishops appointed by Leo XIV and those who were merely consecrated during his pontificate without having been specifically appointed by him.
