Reuters: Vatican warns China over bishop’s ordination

Posted by Kendall Harmon

The Vatican warned Beijing on Thursday not to force Catholic bishops loyal to the pope to attend the ordination of a bishop who is a member of the state-backed church that does not recognize the pontiff.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Vatican was "disturbed" by reports that the government was compelling Catholic bishops to go to the ordination ceremony next week of Father Joseph Guo Jincai in Chengde.

"The Holy See would consider such actions as grave violations of freedom of religion and freedom of conscience," Lombardi said in a statement.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics • Foreign Relations • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • Asia • China • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Roman Catholic • Pope Benedict XVI

6 Comments
Posted November 18, 2010 at 9:02 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Pageantmaster [KJS to Coventry] wrote:

The Chinese government doesn’t seem to know how to handle religion and Christianity in particular as it blows hot and cold, often at the same time.

Prayers for the church in China.

November 18, 3:48 pm | [comment link]
2. A Senior Priest wrote:

How heartening to see that SOMEONE on the face of this earth doesn’t kowtow to the ethnocentric Beijing government.

November 18, 5:38 pm | [comment link]
3. TomRightmyer wrote:

Remember Matthew Parker!  Had Paul IV or Pius IV been willing to recognize Elizabeth’s succession and the Elizabethan settlement rather than support Philip of Spain Benedict XIV might have been saved some trouble.

November 18, 7:23 pm | [comment link]
4. Jeff Thimsen wrote:

NEWS FLASH: The Swiss Guard has been alerted for immediate deployment.

November 18, 8:13 pm | [comment link]
5. Pageantmaster [KJS to Coventry] wrote:

Mind you, they have tried this sort of thing before, with the Panchen Lama.

November 18, 8:35 pm | [comment link]
6. A Senior Priest wrote:

I feel so sorry for Chokyi Gyalpo, the 21 year old false Panchen Rinpoche. His (legitimate) predecessor had died rather suddenly after delivering a speech critical of the Beijing government, and had always resisted their attempts to force him to supplant the Dalai Lama. To know that no one but the more credulous amongst the faithful, as well as a few Quislings backed by a gang of corrupt oligarchs sitting at the pinnacle of the food chain recognise the fable of who you’re supposed to be must be terrible -being trotted out by your masters when dignitaries visit like some kind of pet dog on a lead. Sort of like being a TEC provisional bishop. It’s actually very sad, and ought to bring forth much compassion for people in such an impossible situation.

November 19, 2:29 am | [comment link]
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