Overview
- Francis Li Jianlin was consecrated on 5 December 2025 as bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang, according to the Holy See.
- Pope Leo XIV appointed him on 11 August 2025 with his candidacy approved within the Holy See–China Provisional Agreement, and the resignation of Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu was accepted.
- The Vatican said on 6 December it is satisfied that Bishop Emeritus Joseph Zhang Weizhu’s episcopal dignity has received civil recognition in China.
- Matteo Bruni described the civil recognition as a result of dialogue with Chinese authorities and an important step in the communal journey of the ecclesiastical circumscription.
- Li, born in 1974 in Huixian, trained at the Zhengding and Yixian seminaries, was ordained a priest in 1999 by Bishop Nicola Shi Jingxian, served in Qinyang and formation roles, and has been parish priest in Jiaozuo since 2011.