Bishop Anthony Hui Li succeeds 85-year-old Bishop Nicholas Han Jide in China’s Pingliang Diocese under ongoing Sino-Vatican agreement.
Newsroom (27/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a significant transition for the Chinese Catholic community, Coadjutor Bishop Anthony Hui Li, 54, has taken charge of the Diocese of Pingliang in Gansu province, succeeding long-serving Bishop Nicholas Han Jide, who is 85. The handover, reported by the Chinese Catholic publication Xinde.org, was formalized on January 15 and publicly announced on January 23.
The installation marks a generational and political shift within one of China’s historic dioceses, where state, Church, and diplomatic forces intersect under the watchful eye of Beijing’s religious authorities. The ceremony at Pingliang Cathedral included a solemn Mass attended by clergy, religious orders, and laypeople, alongside representatives from the United Front Work Department—the Communist Party body overseeing religious affairs across China.
The Vatican Agreement and the Question of Authority
Hui’s rise follows his Vatican appointment as coadjutor bishop by Pope Francis on January 11, 2021, a decision made under the still-contentious Sino-Vatican agreement governing episcopal appointments. The provisional accord, first signed in 2018 and renewed multiple times since, aims to unify the appointment process for bishops in China, allowing both Rome and Beijing a role in selection. Though shrouded in secrecy, the deal is widely viewed as a compromise after decades of fractured relations between the Holy See and China, which severed diplomatic ties in the 1950s.
Under the arrangement, a coadjutor bishop holds the right of automatic succession when the current diocesan bishop retires or dies—an arrangement that smoothed Hui’s transition following Han’s decade-overdue retirement.
Bishop Han, who led the diocese since 1999, formally stepped down during the January 15 ceremony. He extended gratitude to local civil authorities and expressed his support for China’s policy of “religious sinicization,” an initiative emphasizing the adaptation of faiths to socialist values and cultural traditions guided by Communist Party principles.
A New Chapter for Pingliang
In his inaugural address, Bishop Hui pledged to uphold the pastoral direction of his predecessor while guiding the diocese in alignment with the country’s official religious policies. He voiced his intent to “deepen patriotism and love for the Church, promote the adaptation of Catholicism to socialist society, and write a new chapter in the holy missionary cause,” as reported by Xinde.
The statement reflects the delicate dual role many bishops in China must maintain—balancing ecclesiastical duties with political expectations set by the state-recognized Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, both of which are not acknowledged by the Vatican.
Sinicization: Faith and Loyalty
First introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2015, the “sinicization” of religion calls on all faith communities to align more closely with Chinese culture and the Communist Party’s leadership. Supporters present it as a project of cultural adaptation and national integration. Critics, however, describe it as a political campaign aimed at surveillance, control, and ideological conformity among religious groups.
The debate over sinicization remains especially sensitive within the Catholic Church, given its international structure and allegiance to the Vatican. The tension underscores the cautious engagement both the Vatican and China maintain as they navigate shared interests in protecting religious practice while asserting sovereignty over ecclesiastical authority.
A Diocese with Deep Roots
The Pingliang Diocese, home to around 12,000 Catholics, traces its origins to missionary efforts of the early 20th century. According to the Vatican’s news agency Fides, the region’s Catholic community began to form in the 1910s and was elevated to diocesan status in 1950—just a year after the Communist Party’s rise to power reshaped China’s religious landscape.
Today, Catholics make up only about 2 percent of China’s 1.4 billion people, according to the 2023 Pew Research Center report, with roughly 90 percent of Chinese Christians identifying as Protestant. Within such a small but devoted community, leadership changes carry significant pastoral and political weight.
As Bishop Hui steps into his new role, the Pingliang Diocese stands as both a spiritual center and a case study in the evolving relationship between the Vatican and Beijing—a relationship defined by faith, diplomacy, and the complex pursuit of coexistence within the world’s most populous nation.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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