HONG KONG (AP) _ China has held off on ordaining bishops without Vatican approval, but Hong Kong’s cardinal, who is a key adviser to the pope, says government interference in the state-backed Chinese church is still a concern.
Beijing and the Vatican don’t have diplomatic relations, and the power to appoint bishops is a major sticking point between them.
China forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Vatican in
1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is allowed only in state-backed churches, which recognize the pope as a spiritual leader. They name their own priests and bishops, but the Vatican has made efforts in recent years to recognize them.
Cardinal Joseph Zen said in a speech to the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club that while China hasn’t ordained a bishop without the Vatican’s approval since 2006, it held a celebration in December marking the 50th anniversary of the state-backed Chinese church’s first bishop appointment. Zen said bishops made speeches in support of a Chinese church independent of the Vatican.
Benedict has made improving relations with Beijing a priority, but there has been little evidence of progress in his four-year effort.