Religion: February 2007 Archives
By Agence France Presse | via (uncensored) yahoo!news
February 09, 2007
Hong Kong's Cardinal Joseph Zen reportedly accused China of "waging a war" to try to destroy the Catholic Church, after Beijing ordained a number of bishops without the pope's approval.
"They are waging a war," he told the BBC World Service. "These...illegitimate ordinations today are acts of war against the Church," he said, denying that the Catholic Church wanted confrontation.
Tensions have been simmering between the Holy See and China since the Chinese Catholic church last year went ahead with the ordination of four bishops who did not have the approval of Pope Benedict XVI.
"They are waging a war. They want to destroy the Church," said Zen.
While Catholicism is allowed in China, a state-sanctioned "patriotic Church" with an estimated five million members does not answer to the pope and ordains its own bishops.
A clandestine Church, with some 10 million adherents, tenaciously maintains links with the Vatican.
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