China unilaterally chooses a bishop, and Leo XIV retroactively “appoints” him.
The Vatican press service announced today that Father Ignatius Ding Zuyao, 40, was consecrated Bishop of Haimen, in China's Jiangsu province. He is now the youngest bishop worldwide.
Leo XIV reportedly confirmed his appointment on 24 August 2026.
However, Ding was selected unilateral on 14 May 2026 by the Chinese selection process - 102 days before the alleged "appointment" by Leo XIV.
Ding was consecrated by Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Shanghai. The latter is vice-president of the Chinese governmental ‘Patriotic Association’.
During Ding's consecration, the secretary-general of the Chinese Bishops' Conference read the approval document issued by that body.
During an episcopal consecration in the Church, the papal bull is read - not so today.
Furthermore, AsiaNews.it highlights a pattern in China's episcopal appointments. Ding is the youngest bishop in the world. Four of the five bishops appointed in China in 2026 were born after 1980. China is promoting younger clergy who have grown up under the country's political leadership.
Ding was not simply a priest working within China's state-recognized Catholic Church. On 18 August 2023, he was elected chairman of the Chongchuan District Catholic Patriotic Association in Nantong. A Party official instructed the same meeting to uphold Communist Party leadership, strengthen the independent administration of the Church and advance Sinicization.
Ding also rose to the position of deputy secretary-general of the Jiangsu Provincial Catholic Church Affairs Committee.
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