China Catholic Body Appoints New Bishop

Beijing, China - China will ordain a new bishop in its state-sanctioned Roman Catholic church this week, a state church official said Tuesday, a move likely to set back efforts to forge better relations between Beijing and the Vatican.

Wang Renlei, vicar-general of the Xuzhou diocese, has been appointed as a bishop in Xuzhou in Jiangsu province, in eastern China, Liu Bainian, deputy chairman of the government-backed Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, said in an interview.

Chinese ties with the Vatican were broken in 1951 after the communists took power. Worship is allowed only in China's government-controlled churches, but millions belong to unofficial congregations loyal to Rome.

China and the Vatican do not have diplomatic relations and a major stumbling block to better ties has been a dispute over who has the power to appoint bishops.

``We cannot wait until China and the Vatican establish relations to select a bishop,'' Liu said.

Wang's is the third ordination known to have been carried out this year by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association without approval of the Vatican.

The Vatican rejects most government involvement anywhere in the world in the selection of its hierarchy, but it has made exceptions. In Vietnam, bishops are appointed after consultation with the communist government.

The Rev. Bernardo Cervellera, a China watcher who heads Asia News, a Vatican-affiliated news agency, said the appointment was a ``violent gesture against freedom of religion.''

``It is a sign of the weakness of the Chinese government and tension in the Chinese society,'' he said in an email.

Relations are further strained because the Vatican recognizes Taiwan. The communist mainland claims Taiwan as part of its territory and refuses to have relations with any nation that recognizes the self-ruled island's popularly elected government.

Restrictions on religious freedom in China are also an irritant in relations with Washington. A State Department report earlier this month ranked China along with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan among ``countries of particular concern'' for their lack of religious openness.

China's Foreign Ministry criticized the report as irresponsible and said it was an unjustified intervention into China's internal affairs.

The other Chinese appointments to the state-approved church this year have been Bishops Ma Yinglin in the southwestern city of Kunming and Liu Xinhong in Wuhu in the central province of Anhui.