China: Bameng diocesan vicar Duan Yongkun ordained Coadjutor Bishop

Vatican News

Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was ordained a bishop on 29 July, in Bameng, in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop by the Pope on 15 June. The appointment followed the approval of his candidacy within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.

Bishop Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was born on 6 December 1980 in Hangjin Houqi, Inner Mongolia. From 2000 to 2007, he attended the Hebei Theological Seminary. Between 2008 and 2013, he studied at Beijing University and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Bameng on 1 January 2011. From 2013 to 2016, he continued his studies at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan.

After returning to his diocese, he served as director of the local formation centre from 2016 to 2020. He was subsequently appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Bameng and parish priest of the diocesan cathedral.