A worshipper waves the flag of China as Pope Francis leaves following the weekly general audience on June 12, 2019, at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images
Vatican City, Jan 23, 2025 / 08:45 am (CNA).
TheVaticanannouncedThursdaythatPopeFrancishadapprovedthetransferofBishopJosephCaiBingruifromtheDioceseofXiamentotheDioceseofFuzhou,bothinthesoutheastChineseprovinceofFujian.
The59-year-oldCaitookpossessionofthedioceseonJan.23.
TheVaticansaidthebishop’scandidacywasapprovedbyPopeFrancisonJan.15underthetermsofthe“ProvisionalAgreement,”betterknownastheVatican-Chinadeal.
CaiwasconsecratedbishopofXiamenwithpapalandgovernmentapprovalin2010afterservingasdiocesanadministratorfrom1996.
AftergrowingupinaCatholicfamily,Caiwasordainedapriestin1992.
Lastweek,theVaticanannouncedthatPopeFrancishaderectedanewdioceseinChinaandappointedFatherAnthonyJiWeizhongasitsfirstbishop.
ThepopedecidedlastOctobertosuppresstheDioceseofFenyanginmainlandChina,whichwasoriginallyerectedin1946byPopePiusXII,a