China said yesterday the appointment of an auxiliary bishop in Shanghai had not been approved by the Vatican.
"He was chosen by our Shanghai Catholic community and was approved by the Chinese Catholic Bishops College," said an official with the Shanghai Religious Affairs Bureau, who refused to be named. "It has nothing to do with the Vatican."
Joseph Xing Wenzhi (邢文之), a 42-year-old Chinese priest, was made auxiliary bishop in a ceremony on Tuesday led by Shanghai Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian (金魯賢) of the government-backed Catholic church who at the age of 89 is giving up many of his duties, officials at the religious affairs bureau said.
Xing, who becomes bishop in the official Chinese church, reportedly announced during the ceremony he had been nominated by the Holy See, suggesting that he received full backing from the Pope.
An auxiliary bishop is a titular bishop appointed by the Holy See, who does not have jurisdiction, but assists a ruling bishop of a diocese in carrying out the work of that diocese.
Some Catholic religious leaders said that they believe that Xing's selection could signal a tacit improvement in the traditionally frosty relationship.
Outspoken Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen (陳日君) said in an interview with Hong Kong radio RTHK that the appointment signaled a warmer approach to differences that have pitted the two sides against each other for the last 54 years.
"Recently there have been several similar [cases] to this: bishops appointed by the Holy See and allowed to be ordained," Zen said.
"The government always exercised much pressure so that they shouldn't make it public, but this time it's allowed to be made public," Zen said. "This is a breakthrough. It signifies a new openness of the government and is a very good step towards normalization with the Holy See."
He said the dialogue between sides remained "informal."
Beijing refuses to recognize the authority of the Vatican and the Pope over Chinese Catholics, who can only legally worship at state-sanctioned churches.
Establishing diplomatic relations with China is a priority for the Vatican, but Beijing has demanded the Vatican first break off diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The government church has about 4 million worshippers, according to official figures, while the underground church loyal to Rome has about 10 million, based on Vatican estimates.
Xing was born into a devoutly Catholic family in Shandong Province and has traveled extensively abroad, working as an educator for the Chinese Catholic church, said the Web site of the government-backed Catholic church.
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