China Appoints Third Bishop in Face Of Excommunication Threat

BEIJING – China’s official Roman Catholic church named a new bishop Sunday – reportedly with papal approval – as Beijing rejected Vatican criticism of the unauthorized ordination of two other bishops.The Reverend Paolo Pei Junmin was named assistant bishop of Shenyang, the biggest city in China’s northeast, said Liu Bainian, deputy chairman of the official church, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which has no ties to Rome.Mr. Liu told the Associated Press the Chinese church had no contact with the Vatican ahead of the ordination. But the Vatican-affiliated AsiaNews agency said Rev. Pei was endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI.China’s ordination of two bishops last week without Pope Benedict’s approval angered the Vatican, which warned that those who took part might face excommunication. The clash set back Pope Benedict’s efforts to reach out to Beijing in hopes of forming official relations.China’s Catholics were forced to cut ties to the Vatican after the 1949 communist revolution. But the Holy See and China’s church communicate informally and most Chinese bishops have received papal endorsement.Yesterday, Hong Kong Cable TV showed Rev. Pei emerging from Shenyang’s Nanguan Cathedral after his ordination dressed in a gold robe and a white miter, a bishop’s distinctive pointed hat. Worshippers outside the church watched the ceremony on a large television screen and sang hymns.Rev. Pei, speaking during the ceremony, said he would lead his diocese in “protecting the nation’s territorial integrity, social stability and unity.” The comments echoed the government’s position on the church role in promoting official policy.The ordination was attended by clergy from America, Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan, Hong Kong’s TVB reported.Yesterday, the State Administration of Religious Affairs defended the earlier ordinations, saying Beijing informed the Vatican in advance but got no response – an apparent reference to their practice of agreeing on bishops through unofficial contacts.The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting the criticism as unfounded, while the religious agency said it “ran against” the Vatican’s desire for better relations.Chinese church leaders recognize the pope as their spiritual leader and have sent priests to Rome to learn new religious doctrine. But Beijing says it won’t allow official contact until the Vatican breaks diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own territory, and pledges not to interfere in the selection of clergy and bishops.The Vatican rejects most government involvement in the selection of church figures. But in Vietnam, another Asian communist nation, bishops are appointed after consultation with the government.“Relations were improving all along. … These two recent ordinations were a big step backward,” said Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong,a Chinese territory where the Catholic church is allowed to maintain direct ties with Rome.However, Cardinal Zen said in comments on Hong Kong TV, “Both sides are still talking with sincerity. I hope they keep talking. I hope these incidents become history and don’t happen again.”

China Appoints Third Bishop in Face Of Excommunication Threat

China Appoints Third Bishop in Face Of Excommunication Threat

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