ROME — A Chinese government representative declared this week that he was “not aware” of the demotion and relocation of a Catholic bishop in violation of the 2018 Sino-Vatican accord on the appointment of bishops.

Asked by Agence France Presse (AFP) for a response to the consternation expressed by the Vatican over the reassignment of Yujiang Bishop John Peng Weizhao as “Auxiliary Bishop of Jiangxi,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he was “not aware” of the situation and deflected, speaking instead of the harmonious relations between Beijing and the Vatican.

“I need to point out that in recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained engagement and reached a host of important common understandings,” Zhao said. “The sustained improvement of ties between China and the Vatican has also contributed to the harmonious development of Catholicism in China.”

“China stands ready to work with the Vatican to continue to expand common understandings on friendly ties and jointly uphold the spirit of the provisional agreement,” he added in reference to the 2018 deal on the naming of bishops.

On November 26, the Holy See issued an unprecedented statement in which it expressed its “surprise and regret” over Beijing’s unilateral decision to demote Bishop Peng, a decision he only accepted after “long and heavy pressure from the local authorities.”

The reassignment of Bishop Peng was accompanied by the creation of the diocese of Jiangxi, “a diocese not recognized by the Holy See,” the Vatican noted in its communiqué.

Bishop Peng of the underground Church had been appointed by Pope Francis in 2014 and secretly ordained as bishop of Yujiang, for which he was held under house arrest for six months.

The Vatican message insisted that the relocation of Bishop Peng did not take place “in accordance with the spirit of dialogue” existing between the Vatican and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The installation of the prelate goes against “what is stipulated in the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops of September 22, 2018,” it said.