(ZENIT News / Rome, 01.29.2024).- Pope Francis erected the Diocese of Weifang, a suffragan of Jinan, Shandong Province, with its episcopal seat at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Qingzhou. This move demonstrates the Vatican’s attention to Chinese Catholics beyond the tensions with the government of the People’s Republic of China regarding bishop appointments.
Antonio Sun Wenjun was consecrated as the bishop of the new diocese on Monday, January 29, by Bishop John Fang Xingyao of Linyi, who concelebrated with Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of Zhoucun and Archbishop Joseph Zhang Xianwang of Jinan. Also present at the liturgy were Bishop John Lu Peisen of Yanzhou and Bishop Thomas Chen Tianhao of Qingdao. These five bishops are heads of dioceses in the Shandong province. The liturgy was attended by 44 priests, 330 religious and lay faithful.
The Vatican Press Office issued a bulletin expressing «the desire to promote the pastoral care of the Lord’s flock and to more effectively attend to its spiritual well-being (…). Pope Francis suppressed the Apostolic Prefecture of Yiduxian on the mainland of China, which was established on June 16, 1931, by Pope Pius XI, taking its territory from the Apostolic Vicariate of Zhifu (now the Diocese of Yantai). At the same time, he erected the new Weifang Diocese in Jinan, Shandong Province, as a suffragan, with its episcopal seat in the Cathedral of Christ the King.» Additionally, «the Supreme Pontiff has appointed Reverend Antonio Sun Wenjun, Diocesan Administrator of the same Circumscription, as the first Bishop of the new Diocese.» All of this was carried out «within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.
The territory of the Weifang Diocese corresponds to the capital, Weifang, covering a total area of 16,167.23 km² with a population of 9,386,705, including 6,000 Catholics served by 10 priests and 6 nuns.
Antonio Sun Wenjun is the second Catholic bishop recently appointed in the People’s Republic of China. Born in November 1970, he studied at the Sheshan Seminary in Shanghai from 1989 to 1994. He was ordained a priest in 1995 at the Cathedral of Beijing, dedicated to the Holy Savior. He worked in Shandong from 2005 to 2007 and, between 2007 and 2008, pursued further studies in Ireland, returning to Weifang for pastoral work.
The diocese had been without a bishop since 2008. During the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, proclaimed by Pope Francis between 2015 and 2016, the community promoted the reading of Sacred Scripture, biblical courses, and Mercy Concerts.
In the diocese, the Religious Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception engages in pastoral projects and social works. The presence of these few religious is a sign of ecclesial vitality in a country where evangelization is challenging due to cultural distances and pressure supported by the Chinese Communist government.
