The Communist government of Chinese government uses the Pope's death to unilaterally impose new bishops – zenith

(Zenit News / Beijing, 05.01.2025).

Within a few days after the death of Pope Francis, the diocese of Shanghai held an inner meeting in which Father Wu Jianlin, the current Vicar General, was approved as a auxiliary bishop with just one token opposition. A similar process occurred in the Xinxiang diocese, where Father Li Jianlin – without alternatives – was selected. In both cases, the procedures followed the established pattern in China: State controlled church organs nominate a single candidate that the Vatican can then approve.

The news behind this choreography is difficult to overlook. Despite a bilateral agreement between the holy chair and Beijing regarding the appointment of bishops – an agreement that was personally used by Pope Francis – Chinese officials have shown no signs that they slowed down their church agenda. The dates not only remain unabated during the Sedee Vacante, but also contain sensitive dioceses and personalities who reflect the preference of Beijing to comply with compliance with reconciliation.

In Shanghai, the appointment of WU Jianlin is particularly charged. The diocese already includes Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, who made headlines in 2012 by publicly distancing himself from the state-sanctioned patriotic association during his episcopal ordination. Since then, he has lived in effective isolation in the Sheshan seminar for this act of defiance. Although MA offered a formal withdrawal in 2016, he was never fully stopped again and hopes for his return were briefly sparked again when Pope Francis approved the appointment of Bishop Shen bin in 2023 in a controversial decision – three months after the installation of Shen without a cardboard.

The latest appointment further increases these hopes. Wu Jianlin, who led the diocese for a decade under state leadership, is a veteran of the political advisory conference of the Chinese people and makes it a trustworthy personality in party circles. His survey makes it clear that Beijing's church strategy is not about healing departments, but the consolidation of control.

In Xinxiang, the picture is no less complex. The government recognizes the diocese as empty, but the underground bishop Joseph Zhang Weishu, who was ordained in 1991, remains a spiritual father for many local Catholics. His service has repeatedly attracted attention – and anger – of the authorities, which led to several arrests. His replacement, Li Jianlin, is not only loyal, but was also one of those who signed a provincial directive for 2018 that prevented minors from participating.

These appointments, which are so soon after the Pope's death, take an immediate and sensitive test for the next Pope. Will he continue Francis' Politics of Careful Commitment with China or draw a more firm line to defend the independence of the church? This decision could define the next chapter in the relationships between Vatican and China.

In the meantime, the contrast between state control and Catholic mood in China could not be strong. While official church websites have tacitly trained the flowing condolences – with news about meetings of the provincial religion committee and budget plans for “sinization” – Catholics all over China, including a few bishops, in their private social media reports. This calm digital homage indicates that a real affection for the late Pope remains under the surface of state -sanctioned stories.

But even private grief is not tolerated in regions like Wenzhou. Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin, a member of the Underground Church, was arrested on April 10 before the Holy Week and remains Incomunicado. According to reports, his detention was expanded, possibly as a preventive measure against public monuments for the Pope.

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