VATICAN (SE): The Holy See Press Office released a statement on November 26 noting with “surprise and regret” the news of an “installation ceremony” that took place on November 24 in Nanchang making Bishop John Peng Weizhao of Yujiang, Jiangxi province, the auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi, a diocese not recognised by the Holy See, Vatican News reported.
The statement noted that the event did not take place “in conformity with the spirit of dialogue that exists between the Vatican parties and the Chinese parties and what has been stipulated in the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops of 22 September 2018.”
The Vatican statement also notes that according to reports received, “the civil recognition of Bishop Peng was preceded… by prolonged and intense pressure by the local authorities,” Vatican News reported.
Awaiting “appropriate communication about the matter from the authorities,” the statement concluded by expressing the Holy See’s hopes that “similar episodes will not be repeated,” reaffirming its “complete willingness to continue the respectful dialogue concerning all of the matters of common interest.”
The provisional agreement, originally signed by representatives of the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China on 22 September 2018, was extended in October 2020 for another two years and again on October 22 this year for another two years.
