The Vatican has excommunicated another newly ordained Chinese bishop, the second in as many weeks.
The excommunicated bishop, Joseph Huang Bingzhang, was ordained without Papal approval, and according to The Telegraph, in the presence of four kidnapped bishops who ‘witnessed’ the ceremony.
The ordination has brought relations between the Vatican and China to a new low, with ucanews.com reporting Cardinal Joseph Zen now saying “it’s war” between the Holy See and Beijing.
Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong, an outspoken critic of Beijing and at times of the Vatican’s handling of issue with China, said on a visit to the United states that relations could only be improved in the long term through dialogue with China’s communist party leadership.
“We hope that by this new confrontation the government is made aware of the problems and then may really come to a dialogue with the Holy See, then we may find some solution.”
In a statement released by the Vatican, Fr Frederico Lombardi told reporters the Vatican is following these events “with sorrow and concern.”
“Once again (Pope Benedict) deplores the manner in which the church in China is being treated.”
“Reverend Huang had been asked on numerous occasions not to accept episcopal ordination,” said Lombardi.
Beijing severed ties with the Holy See in 1951 after the Communist Party took power and set up its own church outside the pope’s authority.
China’s 8 million to 12 million Catholics are divided between the state-sanctioned church that names bishops without the Vatican’s approval and an underground church wary of government ties.
Sources
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News category: World.
