New Chinese Bishops Face Vatican Censure

Since his elevation last year, Benedict has moved to complete business left behind by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Bringing Chinese Catholicism back into the Vatican fold is primary among his objectives.

The Vatican has also announced a willingness to move its diplomatic representation from Taiwan to China, but indicated it first wanted papal authority over such matters as the naming of bishops.

Vatican officials and observers had recently speculated that Beijing stood to gain on the diplomatic front by bringing in one of the last holdouts of official recognition.

Hong Kong's archbishop, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, whom Benedict named cardinal in March, declared himself a go-between with China in what appeared to be the endgame in restoring relations. "I think that the Holy Father wants to make use of my experience in China and will want to receive some information -- and maybe even some suggestions -- from me," he recently told Vatican Radio.

But the two ordinations -- the first late Sunday in eastern China's Anhui province, followed by one on Wednesday in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, in the south -- dramatically changed the mood.

On Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman referred reporters to a government statement issued after the first ordination, which called the Vatican's criticism "groundless."

"We hope the Vatican can respect the will of the Chinese church and the vast numbers of priests as well as its church members so as to create good atmosphere for the improvement of Sino-Vatican ties," the statement said.

The Rev. Bernardo Cervellera, an author and journalist and a missionary in the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, blamed the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association for damaging Vatican-China ties.

"They are against religious freedom and will do everything they can to block Vatican relations with China," Cervellera said. "If Hu wants to create a modern state, China must not involve itself in the inner workings of religious organizations. China is not yet ready for full religious freedom and will probably contemplate this situation for a while."