China’s deal with Vatican faces key test with appointment of first bishop under new arrangement
- Process of selecting candidate to fill vacant see in Inner Mongolia should be agreement’s first test
- Controversial deal signed in September was supposed to end rift between underground and state-sanctioned churches
China’s controversial deal with the Vatican may soon face a key test with the nomination of a new bishop, sources have said.
The South China Morning Post has learnt that the diocese of Wumeng – traditionally known as the Jining – in Inner Mongolia is finalising the process of selecting candidates to be vetted by Pope Francis.
The highly anticipated selection will be the first time the groundbreaking accord signed between Beijing and the Holy See on appointing bishops has been put to the test.
For decades the Catholic Church in China has been split between an official, government-controlled church whose bishops are selected by the state, and an underground church, loyal to the Vatican, which maintained its traditional prerogative of appointing bishops.
Father Yao Shun, the current administrator of the diocese, is tipped as a likely candidate for the post, which became vacant on the death of the former bishop John Liu Shigong at the age of 90 in 2017.