China's state-sanctioned Catholic church is preparing to install a new bishop opposed by the Vatican today, possibly harming the prospect of official ties between the two sides, a Vatican-linked news agency reported.
The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association will ordain Ma Yinglin (馬英林) as bishop of Kunming in southwestern Yunnan Province, Asia News said on Friday.
News of the ordainment comes amid indications that Sino-Vatican talks on resuming ties are entering a substantive phase.
Asia News said the Vatican opposes Ma because he is too close to the Chinese church's leaders and has little pastoral experience.
It said the Holy See had asked that Ma's ordination be delayed.
"With this latest showdown the Patriotic Association is aiming in fact to destroy rapprochement between Beijing and the Holy See," Asia News charged.
An operator who answered the phone at the association said its leaders had left for Yunnan and that no one was available for comment. A call to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman rang unanswered.
China and the Vatican cut ties in 1951. Catholics are only allowed to worship at churches run by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, but millions belong to churches loyal to the Vatican.
Those who meet in underground churches are frequently harassed, fined and sometimes sent to labor camps.
The two main stumbling blocks to renewed Sino-Vatican relations are the Holy See's diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the Vatican's power to appoint bishops, which China views as an interference in its internal affairs.
The Vatican has said it is willing to drop Taiwan. It's unclear, however, if Beijing will budge on its authority over bishops.
Hong Kong's recently appointed Cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君), who has called for reconciliation between China and the Vatican, said Ma's promotion threatened talks between the two sides, RTHK radio reported.
Zen said the Hong Kong diocese had urged the Kunming church to call off the ceremony.
"Forcing them to go ahead with the ordination ceremony without the Pope's approval would deliberately wreck China-Vatican negotiations," Zen said.
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