Bishop Paul Liu Honggang’s ordination marks the 19th appointment under the 2018 Sino-Vatican pastoral agreement, and it ends a nearly 80-year vacancy.
On August 31, 2026, the Vatican press office announced the ordination of Bishop Paul Liu Honggang for the Diocese of Datong, China, with the approval of Pope Leo XIV. He’s the 19th bishop appointed under the provisional pastoral agreement signed by China and the Holy See in 2018, the terms of which remain secret. He’s the seventh Chinese bishop approved by the American pontiff.
In accordance with the agreement, the Holy See announced that Pope Leo XIV officially appointed the bishop of Datong on August 10, 2026. In a press release published earlier in the morning, the Patriotic Association (the official organ of the Catholic Church in China, not recognized by Rome) declared that Bishop Liu Honggang had previously been “elected” bishop of his diocese on April 28. Prior to this, he served as the association’s vice president in the Shanxi province.
