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Vatican officials meet to discuss ties with China

The Vatican began two days of meetings on Friday over the church's relations with China, which have soured after a dispute over appointing bishops.

The meetings were called to discuss "problems between the Holy See and China," the Vatican's top spokesman, the Reverend Federico Lombardi.

Experts say they expect top Vatican officials and Chinese clergymen to develop a more uniform policy toward China after the government-controlled church there appointed three bishops last year without the Vatican's consent.

"It has become unbearable, this fact," said the Reverend Bernardo Cervellera, editor of AsiaNews, a Roman Catholic news service. "The government just wants to control things."

Pope Benedict XVI has made restoring diplomatic relations with China one of the goals of his papacy, and both sides have repeatedly expressed the desire to make that happen.

But talks have foundered over the appointment of the three bishops by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church Association, which oversees the church in China.

Chinese churchmen have also charged the government with kidnapping members of the clergy and forcing them to take part in the consecration of the third bishop.

The Vatican strongly asserts its right to control the selection of bishops, though it has allowed governments and dioceses to suggest candidates.

The Chinese government has denied the accusations of kidnapping.

"They want to show that China is a modern country," he said. "They cannot have this face of a dictatorial country and of oppressing freedom of religion."
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