Latest news with #BishopAppointment
Reuters
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
China gets new Catholic bishop, as Pope Leo continues deal over appointments
VATICAN CITY, June 11 (Reuters) - A new assistant Catholic bishop was installed on Wednesday for Fuzhou, the capital of China's southeastern Fujian province, signalling that the Vatican's accord with Beijing over Catholic bishop appointments will continue under Pope Leo. Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan, 73, was appointed by Leo within the framework of a diplomatic deal originally struck in 2018 that gives Chinese officials some input into papal appointments. Michel Chambon , an academic who has written extensively on the Chinese Church, said Wednesday's installation indicates that both parties want to continue with the accord. "It is a willingness to support reconciliation instead of antagonism," said Chambon, a research fellow at the Asia Research Institute in Singapore. Some conservative Catholics have criticized the Vatican-China deal, which was negotiated under the late Pope Francis. The critics say it gives too much influence to China's ruling communists, who have kept a tight rein on religious practice since taking power in 1949. The Vatican stresses that the pope retains final decision-making power and says the accord resolves a decades-long split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association. Yuntuan had previously been ordained a bishop in the underground church in 2017. The Vatican said in a brief statement that it had "learned with satisfaction" that his role had been officially recognised by the government. "This event constitutes another fruit of the dialogue between the Holy See and Chinese authorities and is a significant step," it said. As part of Wednesday's ceremony, Yuntuan swore to abide by Chinese laws and to safeguard social harmony, according to a report on social media provided by the Catholic Patriotic Association. Across China there are about 5 million Catholics in a total population of 1.4 billion, the Vatican estimates. The Vatican and China last renewed their accord in October 2024, for a further period of four years. The text of the deal has never been published, but only described by diplomatic officials.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pope Leo XIV makes first U.S. bishop appointment, fills San Diego vacancy
Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope, on Thursday made his first American bishop appointment as he named Bishop Michael Pham as bishop of San Diego, California. Pham, 58, is currently an auxiliary bishop in the diocese. He fills the vacancy created when Pope Francis named Cardinal Robert McElroy archbishop of Washington D.C. earlier this year. Pham, who was born in Da Nang, Vietnam, was ordained a priest in the San Diego diocese in 1999 and was made a bishop in 2023. He was in charge of programming for the dioceses' ethnic groups and as of March had been the main diocesan administrator. The diocese of San Diego counts about 1.3 million Catholics in a total population of about 3.5 million people, according to the U.S. Catholic bishops conference. Prior to his election May 8, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost headed the Vatican's bishops office and in that capacity would have reviewed and vetted Pham's file. In another appointment Thursday, Leo named a nun as the No. 2 in the Vatican's congregation for religious orders, a possible sign that he plans to continue Francis' efforts to promote more women to decision-making roles in the Vatican. Sister Tiziana Merletti, the former head of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, is a canon lawyer and now reports to Sister Simona Brambilla, whom Francis in January appointed as the first-ever woman to head a major Holy See office. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Pope Leo XIV makes first U.S. bishop appointment, fills San Diego vacancy
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope, on Thursday made his first American bishop appointment as he named Bishop Michael Pham as bishop of San Diego, California. Pham, 58, is currently an auxiliary bishop in the diocese. He fills the vacancy created when Pope Francis named Cardinal Robert McElroy archbishop of Washington D.C. earlier this year. Pham, who was born in Da Nang, Vietnam, was ordained a priest in the San Diego diocese in 1999 and was made a bishop in 2023. He was in charge of programming for the dioceses' ethnic groups and as of March had been the main diocesan administrator. The diocese of San Diego counts about 1.3 million Catholics in a total population of about 3.5 million people, according to the U.S. Catholic bishops conference. Prior to his election May 8, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost headed the Vatican's bishops office and in that capacity would have reviewed and vetted Pham's file. In another appointment Thursday, Leo named a nun as the No. 2 in the Vatican's congregation for religious orders, a possible sign that he plans to continue Francis' efforts to promote more women to decision-making roles in the Vatican. Sister Tiziana Merletti, the former head of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, is a canon lawyer and now reports to Sister Simona Brambilla, whom Francis in January appointed as the first-ever woman to head a major Holy See office. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
