FUZHOU (Fides): Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary for the Diocese of Fuzhou, Fujian, on June 5. He was installed during an inuaguration ceremony celebrated by Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu of Mindong, on June 11, the feast of St. Barnabas.
Official recognition of Bishop Lin’s episcopal office was a long-awaited event for the local community.
During the ceremony, Bishop Lin declared his commitment to the Constitution and his desire to help everyone love the country and the Church, to proclaim the gospel, and promote the unity of the country in harmony by following the principles of “Sinicisation.”
The event was also attended by representatives of the Bishops’ Conference, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and the Religious Affairs Committee of the Province.
Following the inauguration ceremony, a Mass was celebrated by Bishop Joseph Cai Bingrui of Fuzhou, and concelebrated by bishops from other dioceses in Fujian, in addition to Bishop Zhan Silu, Bishop Lin Yuntang and Bishop Wu Yishun of Minbei, along with about 80 priests and more than 200 religious sisters and lay people.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office said: “We are pleased to learn that today, on the occasion of the taking possession of the Office of auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou by His Excellency Monsignor Joseph Lin Yuntuan, his episcopal ministry is also recognised for the purposes of civil law. This event constitutes a further fruit of the dialogue between the Holy See and the Chinese authorities and is an important step in the journey of communion of the diocese.”
Bishop Lin, according to the Holy See Press Office bulletin, was born in Fujian on 12 March 1952. From 1979 to 1983 he attended the diocesan seminary of Fuzhou.
He was ordained a priest on 9 April 1984. From 1984 to 1994 and again from 1996 to 2002 he held the office of parish priest in various parishes in the diocese. In 1985 he taught at the diocesan seminary. From 1994 to 1996, and then from 2000 to 2003, he held the office of deputy director of the diocesan Economic Commission. At the same time, for several years, he was episcopal delegate.
From 2003 to 2007 he held the office of diocesan administrator, while in the subsequent period, until 2013, he assisted the apostolic administrator of the circumscription as his delegate. From 2013 to 2016 he was apostolic administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis [at the disposition of the Holy See].
He was ordained to the episcopacy on 28 December 2017.
