Bishop Anthony Ji Weizhong Ordained as Leader of Lüliang Diocese
(Shanxi, China – March 5, 2025) A bishop ordination ceremony was held in Fenyang, Lüliang City, Shanxi Province, where Father Anthony Ji Weizhong was consecrated as the first bishop of the newly established Lüliang Diocese. He will lead this new Catholic diocese in Shanxi Province, which was formed by the merger of the now suppressed Fenyang Diocese.
According to an announcement published by the Holy See Press Office on January 20, 2025:
“Today, Monday 20 January 2025, the Reverend Anthony Ji Weizhong was ordained a bishop. The Holy Father appointed the Reverend Anthony Ji Weizhong as bishop of Lüliang (Shanxi Province, China) on 28 October 2024, having approved the candidature in the context of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.”
Background of Bishop Anthony Ji Weizhong
The announcement noted that Bishop Anthony Ji Weizhong, born on August 3, 1973, in Wenshui, Shanxi, is 51 years old. He studied theology at the National Seminary of Beijing and was ordained as a priest on October 14, 2001, serving in the Fenyang Diocese. “He then carried out his linguistic studies at the University of Xi’an and earned a licentiate in theology from the University of Sankt Augustin, Germany. In Fenyang, he served as deputy parish priest, head of the diocesan Pastoral Center, and as vicar general.”
Establishment of the Lüliang Diocese
The Lüliang Diocese was established under the Archdiocese of Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, northern China, by Pope Francis. The Holy See Press Office published an announcement regarding the “suppression of the diocese of Fenyang and erection of the diocese of Lüliang, China.”
The Holy See’s press release regarding the suppression of the Diocese of Fenyang and the erection of the Lüliang Diocese stated: “In the desire to promote the pastoral care of the Lord’s flock and to attend more effectively to its spiritual wellbeing, on 28 October 2024 the Supreme Pontiff Francis decided to suppress the diocese of Fenyang in continental China, which was erected on 11 April 1946 by Pope Pius XII, and at the same time to erect the new diocese of Lüliang, suffragan of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, with its episcopal see in the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located in Fenyang, city of Lüliang. The ecclesiastical borders of the new diocese will include the following areas: the quarter of Lishi, the counties of Wenshui, Jiaocheng, Xingxian, Linxian, Liulin, Shilou, Lanxian, Fangshan, Zhongyang, Jiaokou and the city-counties of Xiaoyi and Fenyang. Instead, the counties of Kelan and Jingle are incorporated into the archdiocese of Taiyuan, whereas the counties of Pingyao and Jiexiu are incorporated into the diocese of Yuci. In this way, the territory of the diocese of Lüliang conforms to that of the prefecture-level city of Lüliang, with a total area of 21,000 km2 and a total population of 3,346,500 inhabitants, of whom approximately 20,000 are Catholics, served by 51 priests and 26 religious sisters.”
Consecration Ceremony and the Former Bishop of Fenyang
The episcopal consecration ceremony on January 20 was held at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Fenyang, Lüliang City, Shanxi Province. Bishop Paul Meng Ningyou of Taiyuan presided over the consecration. Bishop Peter Ding Lingbin of Changzhi, Bishop Peter Liu Genzhu of Hongdong/Linfen, and Bishop Peter Ma Cunguo of Shuozhou served as co-consecrators. Approximately 450 people attended the ceremony, including about 130 priests from various dioceses in China, along with religious sisters, seminarians, and lay faithful.
Since the death of Bishop John Huo Cheng in 2023, the episcopal seat of Fenyang has remained vacant.
Bishop John Huo Cheng was imprisoned for 14 years during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1980). Afterward, through communication with the Roman Curia and an agreement with the Chinese government, he was appointed Bishop of Fenyang in 1991.
The Lüliang Diocese is one of the first six national missionary territories established by the Holy See.
Secret Vatican-China Agreement on Bishop Appointments
Since the signing of the “Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops” between Beijing and the Holy See in 2018, eleven new bishops have been consecrated in mainland China. During the same period, eight “unofficial” bishops (previously consecrated outside the official procedures mandated by the Chinese authorities) sought and received official recognition from Beijing. One of these was Bishop Peter Lin Jiashan of Fuzhou, who passed away in April 2023. The number of vacant dioceses in China is gradually decreasing.
The Vatican and China signed the agreement in 2018 to ensure that the nomination of Catholic bishops for the Catholic community in China would follow a procedure requiring papal approval before appointment or consecration.
This provisional agreement, which has never been publicly disclosed, was renewed for two years in 2020 and 2022 and extended for four years in 2024.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)
