Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was consecrated the bishop of Bameng on Wednesday, making him the 16th prelate consecrated under the widely condemned Vatican-China deal. (LifeSiteNews) — Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIV with the approval of the communist Chinese government, per the controversial Vatican-China deal, was officially consecrated as the new bishop of Bameng, China, on Wednesday. The consecration was principally presided over by Paul Meng Qinglu, bishop of Hohhot, who was the first Chinese bishop consecrated with a papal mandate back in 2010. Yongkun is the 16th bishop consecrated under the Sino-Vatican deal’s provisions. READ: Pope Leo approves new bishop in false Chinese ‘Catholic’ churchThe officially secret Sino-Vatican deal, signed in 2018, is believed to recognize the state-approved church in China and allows the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to appoint bishops.