Vatican should halt talks with China, Hong Kong cardinal says

The Vatican should halt talks with China about restoring formal diplomatic ties because Beijing is ordaining bishops who aren't approved by the Roman Catholic church, a Hong Kong newspaper on Tuesday quoted a cardinal as saying.

Photo: Vatican should halt talks with China, Hong Kong cardinal says

The reported comments by Hong Kong's outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen came after China's state-sanctioned Catholic church appointed a new bishop Sunday in the southwestern city of Kunming. The Vatican had requested the ceremony be delayed until both sides could assess the candidate's qualifications.

The South China Morning Post reported that China's official church, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, was planning to ordain another bishop, Liu Xinhong, on Wednesday in the eastern province of Anhui.

Zen said the Sino-Vatican dialogue "cannot continue because people will think we are prepared to surrender," the paper reported. "We cannot budge. When you brutally place such a fait accompli, how can you call this dialogue? This totally runs against the spirit of dialogue."

China cut ties with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the Communist Party took power in Beijing. Worship is only allowed in government-controlled churches, although millions of Chinese Catholics belong to the so-called "underground church" loyal to Rome.

Zen couldn't be immediately reached for comment Tuesday. His information officer, Paul To, told The Associated Press that the cardinal didn't plan to make further comments to the media in the next two weeks.

A receptionist who answered the phone at the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association in Beijing on Tuesday told the AP church officials were out of the office and unavailable for comment, reports the AP.

I.L.