Reuters: Rome-approved Chinese bishop defies state church

From Reuters:

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese bishop approved by the Vatican but not by China's official state-backed Catholic church has defied authorities and officiated at a religious ceremony, a Hong Kong newspaper reported on Monday.

The row over Wu Qinjing's appearance highlighted the current friction between the Holy See and Beijing over the appointment of bishops, a key sticking point in negotiations over the normalization of relations which were severed in the early 1950s.

Wu appeared at Zhouzhi cathedral in the northern province of Shaanxi on Saturday despite official warnings that his secret October elevation, made public only last Monday, was illegal and that he could not work as a bishop, the South China Morning Post said on Monday.

"It first came as a suggestion, then a requirement, and an order. It is a final warning," the paper quoted a Catholic source as saying. [More...]