On September 12, 2025, the Holy See Press Office announced with satisfaction that the civil authorities of China have officially recognized the episcopal ministry of Mons. Giuseppe Ma Yan’en, new auxiliary bishop of Zhangjiakou, as well as the episcopal dignity of Mons. Agostino Cui Tai, emeritus bishop of Xuanhua. The statement frames this event as an advance in the process of dialogue between Rome and Beijing.
Civil Recognition of the Bishops
According to the statement, the recognition coincides with the taking of possession by Mons. Ma Yan’en as auxiliary bishop of Zhangjiakou. In parallel, the episcopal status of Mons. Cui Tai is also recognized civilly, who for years lived situations of control and restrictions by the authorities. Both appointments, the Holy See notes, are considered the fruit of dialogue with the Chinese government.
Context of the Diocese of Zhangjiakou
The diocese of Zhangjiakou is the product of a unilateral reorganization by the Chinese government in 1980, when the historic dioceses of Xiwanzi and Xuanhua were merged. These sees, erected in 1946 by Pope Pius XII, had been for more than a century strongholds of Catholicism in northern China, with strong missionary impetus toward Mongolia.
The recent history of the region is marked by persecution. Just a few months after the erection of the dioceses, the Catholic community suffered the Xiwanzi massacre: priests executed, faithful arrested, and ecclesiastical properties confiscated. With the arrival of the communist regime, bishops and priests faithful to Rome were sent to prison or labor camps, such as Melchior Zhang Kexing and Andrew Hao Jinli. The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) worsened the repression with temples destroyed, communities dispersed, and worship reduced to clandestinity.
The ecclesiastical map imposed by the Communist Party ignored the organization established by Rome and subordinated Catholic life to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), an organism controlled by the regime to promote an “independent national church.” Bishops like Augustine Cui Tai spent long years under house arrest and detentions for remaining in communion with the Holy See.
In this context, the civil recognition of the diocese of Zhangjiakou means accepting a structure created by the Party at the expense of the dioceses legitimately erected by Pius XII. For many faithful of the underground Church, the decision means legally erasing their history of resistance and suffering, consolidating the power of the state-controlled official Church and weakening the witness of those who maintained fidelity to Rome at the cost of persecutions.
A New Episode in China-Holy See Relations
The Holy See’s statement presents these recognitions as a “relevant step on the path to communion of the new diocese.” However, the political background reminds us that it is another chapter in the delicate negotiation process with Beijing. Since the provisional agreement of 2018 on the appointment of bishops, renewed in 2020 and 2022, the Holy See has sought to normalize relations, although tensions and denunciations persist regarding the lack of religious freedom in China.
The civil recognition of Mons. Ma Yan’en and Mons. Cui Tai constitutes a significant gesture, but it also reflects the high cost of a dialogue that, according to many critics, takes place at the expense of the memory of the martyrs and the underground Church that maintained the faith in the most adverse conditions.