Father Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was ordained July 29 as coadjutor bishop of Bameng in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after being appointed by Pope Leo XIV on June 15 under the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.
Bishop Duan’s episcopal ordination was the second connected to appointments made public by the Vatican within the space of a week.
The pope also appointed Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng as the new bishop of Chifeng, another diocese in Inner Mongolia, on June 15. Bishop Chang was also ordained a bishop Wednesday, although the Vatican announced his appointment on July 22, while Bishop Duan’s appointment was made public this week.
The Holy See Press Office said Bishop Duan, 45, was appointed coadjutor bishop of Bameng after the Holy Father approved his candidacy through the procedures established by the Vatican-Beijing agreement governing the appointment of bishops in China.
Biography
Bishop Duan was born Dec. 6, 1980, in Hangjin Houqi, Inner Mongolia. He studied at the Hebei theological seminary from 2000 to 2007.
He later continued his academic studies at Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University between 2008 and 2013.
Bishop Duan was ordained a priest for the
