July 29, 2026

The Vatican has quietly moved again in China: a second bishop was ordained in a week under the fraught accord with Beijing, underscoring just how delicate — and controversial — the church’s deal with the communist state remains. Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun, 45, was installed as Coadjutor Bishop of Bameng in Inner Mongolia after Pope Leo approved his candidacy, following last week’s ordination of Joseph Chang Yanfeng in nearby Chifeng. The back-to-back appointments spotlight the high-stakes tug-of-war over who gets to choose Catholic bishops in China, a flashpoint critics say gives Beijing too much leverage over the church.

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