Pope appoints new bishop in China, bringing a 70-year vacancy to an end

Father Thaddeus Wang Yuesheng was consecrated bishop of Zhengzhou, China, on Thursday, bringing an end to a 70-year-long sede vacante. 

The Holy See Press Office announced on Thursday morning that Wang was appointed by Pope Francis as the bishop of Zhengzhou on Dec. 16, 2023. The report noted that the decision took place “in the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.”  

The Vatican Fides News Agency, which is part of the Dicastery for Evangelization, added that his appointment “was also favored by the direct contribution of the various components of the local Church, according to the criterion of synodality.” 

In a statement published on the official website of the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCC), “on March 22, 2022, he [Wang] was elected as the bishop-elect of the Diocese of Zhengzhou.”