After the former Pope Francis passed away on April 21, Pope Robert Prevost was elected as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church on May 8. The Chinese Communist Party recently took advantage of the “Papal interregnum” to hold two bishop elections, putting the new Pope in a dilemma of whether to agree to the appointments. Some media outlets suggest that the new Pope may need to recognize that any agreement with Beijing on bishop appointments could be akin to a Faustian bargain.
According to Asia News on April 29, Wu Jianlin, a former member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Deputy Bishop of the Shanghai Diocese, was elected as an auxiliary bishop. He replaced Ma Daqin, who withdrew from the government-sanctioned Patriotic Association in 2012 during his episcopal ordination ceremony. Shortly after, Ma Daqin had his bishop appointment revoked by the Chinese authorities and was reportedly put under soft detention near a religious house in Shanghai.
In addition to the Shanghai appointment, Li Jianlin was selected as the Bishop of Xinxiang in Henan. Li Jianlin was one of the signatories of a notice in Henan province that banned minors from attending Mass. The former underground bishop of Xinxinag, Zhang Weizhu, who repeatedly refused to join the government-controlled Patriotic Association due to his loyalty to the Roman See, had been arrested and imprisoned in recent years.
Since May 2021, the Chinese authorities have implemented regulations on religious personnel, allowing for the crackdown on clergy members who refuse to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party. In May of the same year, hundreds of police officers surrounded a monastery in Xinxinag, arresting Bishop Zhang Weizhu, seven priests, and more than ten monks.
Under the tenure of former Pope Francis, the controversial provisional agreement signed between the Vatican and Beijing in 2018 regarding bishop appointments has faced criticism. The agreement allows for both parties to appoint bishops in agreement with each other, with the details kept confidential. Subsequently, few bishop appointments received simultaneous approval from both the Chinese authorities and the Pope.
The provisional agreement, which came into effect in October 2018 and was extended for two years in 2020, saw another extension by the Vatican on October 22, 2022. However, it is unclear whether any revisions were made to the agreement before the extension.
An opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal titled “China Challenges the Next Pope” on the 7th suggested that Beijing’s appointment of two new bishops during the “Papal interregnum” will require the new Pope to approve or reject the list of elected bishops, effectively testing the new Pope’s willingness to contribute to the authoritarian regime.
The article mentioned that since coming into power in 1949, China had attempted to eradicate Christianity but later resorted to control the church. In 2018, the Vatican and Beijing signed a provisional agreement agreeing on jointly appointing bishops recognized by both parties. Beijing’s appointment of a new bishop in Shanghai is seen as a move to increase control over the largest diocese in China.
The opinion piece criticized the Vatican for losing moral authority in accommodating Beijing, and betraying bishops and priests who have endured immense suffering by refusing to bow down to the Communist regime since its inception.
Religious persecution in China continues to escalate. A report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2025 highlighted instances of detentions, forced disappearances, and lack of information on the whereabouts of underground clergy conducted by the Chinese authorities.
The opinion further suggested that Beijing sees the “Papal interregnum” as an opportune moment for provocation, indicating that the new Pope may need to assess the agreement reached with Beijing, which could resemble a Faustian bargain.
The election of American Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope, taking the name Pope Liang XIV, has sparked international interest in how he will influence the direction of the Vatican in the future and how he will navigate the relationship between the Vatican and China.
Chang Mengren, the head of the Department of Italian Language and Literature at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, mentioned to Radio Free Asia that while it’s unclear how Pope Liang XIV would approach cross-strait issues, his victory over another prominent candidate, former Vatican Secretary of State Parolin, reflects the Vatican’s stance on Sino-Vatican relations.
Chang Mengren stated, “In the face of China’s persecution of believers or ongoing attempts at religious control, I don’t think the new Pope will necessarily continue on a path of tolerance.”