XINXIANG (Fides): Bishop Francis Li Jianlin ordained bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang, Henan Province, China, on December 5 at the church in Nanmenli.
Pope Leo XIV—according a the bulletin from the Holy See Press Office—appointed him bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang on August 11, “having approved his candidature in accordance with the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, and having accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same Apostolic Prefecture presented by Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu.”
The ordination was presided over by Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing. Concelebrating were Bishop Thaddeus Wang Yuesheng of Zhengzhou, Bishop Joseph Zhang Yinlin of Anyang, and Bishop Peter Jin Lugang of Nanyang.
Bishop Li Jianlin was born on 9 July 1974, in Huixian, Henan, to a Catholic family. From September 1990 to June 1999, he pursued his formation and discernment for the priesthood, first at the seminary in Zhengding and then at the seminary in Yixian, Hebei, according to the Holy See Press Office.
He was ordained as a priest on 23 July 1999 by Bishop Nicola Shi Jingxian of Shangqiu for the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang. From July 1999 to 2000, he served as parish priest of Qinyang.
In 2000, he was appointed to oversee the formation of seminarians and religious sisters in the district. Since 2011, he has served as parish priest in Jiaozuo.
