Father Paolo Liu Honggang was ordained bishop of the Diocese of Datong in China's Shanxi province on 2025-08-10, marking the third episcopal ordination in China since June 15, 2025, and the seventh during Pope Leo XIV's pontificate. ^[1] Tim Cook stepped down as Apple CEO and endorsed John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, as his successor in a farewell memo to employees. ^[2] Apple said in a regulatory filing in 2026 that Cook will receive a $2 million salary and an annual equity award with a target value of $45 million for fiscal 2027 as executive chair. ^[3] Tim Cook stepped down as Apple's CEO in 2026 after 15 years and became executive chair. ^[4] Apple disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that new CEO John Ternus will receive a total compensation package of $58 million. ^[5] On 2025-07-08, Pope Leo XIV suppressed the Dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, established by Pope Pius XII in 1946, and erected the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as a suffragan see of Beijing. ^[6] The Holy See said on 2025-08-10 that Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Paolo Liu Honggang as bishop of Datong under the mechanisms of the Vatican-China agreement. ^[7] With Liu's ordination, 17 Catholic bishops have now been ordained in China under the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and China, first signed in 2018. ^[8] Cook's farewell memo, reported by Bloomberg, focuses on gratitude and Apple's culture rather than addressing challenges such as AI, services, regulation, or China. ^[9] In the memo, Cook stated that he is not leaving Apple but stepping away from the CEO role, and that he will remain as executive chairman. ^[10] The leadership transition suggests a renewed focus on hardware and product execution at Apple, and hardware is expected to play an important role in the AI era, with Apple offering earlier releases of the Mac mini and Mac Studio this year due to AI demand. ^[11] Apple's split-adjusted stock price rose nearly 2,300% during Cook's tenure, from about $13 to $317 at the close of his last day as CEO in 2026, and closed almost 3% higher at $325 the following Tuesday. ^[12]