Fifty-seven-year-old Fr. Francis Cui Qingqi of the Capuchin Order is the newest bishop of Hankou-Wuhan.
AsiaNews published this photograph from his ordination.
The Vatican's spokesman confirmed that Fr. Francis is the sixth Chinese bishop to be appointed under the provisional agreement signed by the Holy See and China in 2018 and temporarily renewed in 2020.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Secretary of State, Vatican
“I've compared this agreement to a seed, a seed sown on challenging land, where the Church still faces many difficulties. However, we hope that it will slowly produce fruit, with a lot of patience and without expecting to see sudden changes.”
Bishop Francis Cui Qingqi has overseen that same diocese since December 2012. He was the vice-secretary of the Bishops' Conference controlled by the government of Beijing.
Javier Romero
TR: CT