China to Defy Rome, Ordain Second Bishop in Days

By REUTERS | The New York Times
02 May 2006

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is poised to appoint another bishop to its state-run Catholic Church despite Vatican disapproval, escalating tensions with the Holy See as the two sides vie for influence over Chinese church affairs.

A priest in the Communist Party-approved church in the central province of Anhui is to be consecrated bishop of the province, a vice chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, Liu Bainian, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Liu Xinhong's appointment is opposed by the Vatican, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.

It comes just days after a senior official in the government-approved church, Ma Yingling, was appointed bishop of Yunnan province in the face of objections from Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen and reported disapproval from the Holy See.

Zen told the Hong Kong newspaper that the string of bishops promoted without Vatican approval suggested the state-run Patriotic Association was attempting to derail expanding dialogue between Beijing and the Vatican.

The two sides severed ties after 1949, when the victorious Communist Party cracked down on religion. The Vatican switched official recognition to Taiwan, where the anti-Communist Chinese Nationalists fled.

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