Pope Appoints Archbishop of Hangzhou, China: "Pope Intends to Visit China"

According to the Provisional Agreement on Bishop Appointments between the Holy See and China

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Yang Yongchang Joseph (54) as the Archbishop of Hangzhou Archdiocese in Zhejiang Province, China, the Vatican announced on the 22nd (local time).

In a statement, the Vatican said that on the 12th, the Pope appointed Bishop Yang, who had been leading the Zhoucun Diocese in Shandong Province, as the Archbishop of Hangzhou Archdiocese. It explained, "This is in accordance with the provisional agreement between the Holy See and China." The Vatican introduced that Bishop Yang was ordained as a priest in 1995 and as a bishop in 2010.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

China severed diplomatic ties with the Vatican in 1951, recognizing Taiwan as the government, and has not acknowledged the Pope's authority to appoint bishops, leading to decades of conflict. Since Pope Francis ascended to the papacy in 2013 and made efforts to improve relations, a reconciliation atmosphere has begun to form.

In particular, in 2018, the Holy See and China signed a provisional agreement regarding bishop appointments. The Vatican accepts bishops appointed by the Chinese government, and China recognizes the Pope as the supreme leader of the Catholic Church, granting him the final decision-making authority on bishop appointments in a compromise arrangement. This two-year agreement was renewed in 2020, extended once more in 2022, and is set to expire in October this year.

In January, Chinese authorities also appointed Bishop Wang Weisheng Thaddeus (58), ordained by Pope Francis, as the Bishop of the Jiangzhou Diocese in Henan Province.

According to Vatican News, the Vatican's "second-in-command," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, said on the 20th, "If the Chinese people open their hearts, His Holiness the Pope would immediately go to China." He added, "The Pope is willing and actually wants to visit China," but "it seems the conditions for this to happen are not yet ripe."

Regarding the provisional agreement on bishop appointments with China, Secretary of State Parolin said, "We have been in dialogue with China for a long time," and "We are trying to find the best procedures for applying the agreement, which will be renewed at the end of this year."

At an international conference on Chinese Catholicism held in the Vatican last May, Secretary of State Parolin stated, "We have long hoped to exist stably in China," and revealed that the Holy See intends to establish a representative office in China.