Monday, May 08, 2006

China Accepts Pope's Choice of Bishop - Los Angeles Times

China Accepts Pope's Choice of Bishop - Los Angeles Times:
(Los Angeles Times, free registration required)
"VATICAN CITY — China will appoint a Catholic bishop approved by the Vatican today, just days after Pope Benedict XVI condemned the unilateral ordination of two bishops by Beijing, a Catholic news agency reported...."
It strikes me as odd that an offically atheistic government would feel the need to appoint or approve bishops.

Still, this may be a way to move forward from the recent controversy over the consecration of bishops in China.

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2 comments:

Gruntled said...

The French monarchy liked to appoint bishops in the 15th century, and they were -- well, ok, not atheists, but the nuance of Christian faith was not Item One on their agenda.

Unknown said...

Good point.

Actually, the 15th century French monarchs and the leadership of China have a thing or two in common -- they had (or have) a need to control. And they do not represent the only times in history when the State interfered with the Church (or were indistinguishable from each other).

John-Paul II made several appointments of Cardinals in similar situations, but did not identify them. There is a technical term for that which escapes me. I'm not sure if Benedict XVI has made any such appointments, but I suspect as long as there are totalitarian regimes it is only a matter of time.