Vatican Creates New Chinese Diocese, Names New Bishops

Within a week, the Vatican and Chinese government have successfully pushed through a small slate of episcopal appointments, under the norms of a 2018 bilateral agreement on the appointment of bishops. The filling of two vacant sees, along with the conversion of an apostolic prefecture into a diocese, comes after years of deteriorating relations between the Holy See and Beijing, with the Chinese Communist government making a series of unilateral episcopal appointments and moving to suppress and erect dioceses in the country without Roman approval or even involvement.