What should be Pope Leo’s goals with China?

The Vatican has announced two Chinese episcopal appointments in recent weeks, signaling the continuing operation of its eight-year-old agreement with China’s government on the appointment of bishops.

The bishops, both appointed for dioceses in the Inner Mongolia province, were publicly announced by the Vatican in the daily bolletinos for July 22 and 29, the announcements coinciding with the episcopal consecrations of Joseph Chang Yanfeng as Bishop of Chifeng and Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun as coadjutor Bishop of Bameng.

According to the Vatican, both men received papal approval for their appointments under the norms of the Vatican-China deal on June 15. The bishops’ installations are the latest in a series of relatively undramatic appointments in Vatican-China relations since Leo’s election as pope last year.

The Holy See’s accord with China continues to draw criticism from some quarters, with commentators noting Beijing’s track record of violating the deal’s provisions — often publicly and with impunity — and the continuing crackdown on the exercise of basic religious freedoms on the mainland. But, with the deal set to run for another two years, it is clear the current