Vatican condemns the unauthorized ordination of Chinese priest as bishop

The Vatican has issued a statement condemning the decision of a priest of an underground church in China to ordain himself as a bishop without the approval of the Pope.

The statement released on Monday was seen as an attempt by the Vatican to diffuse tensions with China as it negotiates with authorities to reach an overall agreement on bishop nominations, Crux reported.

"In recent weeks, there has been a series of reports regarding some episcopal ordinations conferred without Papal Mandate of priests of the unofficial community of the Catholic Church in Continental China," the statement said.

"The Holy See has not authorised any ordination, nor has it been officially informed of such events. Should such episcopal ordinations have occurred, they would constitute a grave violation of canonical norms," it continued.

Rumors have circulated that Father Dong Guanhua, an underground priest in Hebei, ordained himself as bishop "in private" and offered to ordain others. He was immediately criticized by the underground church and some have suspected that he is a government spy whose aim is to create confusion and division in the Church.

The statement mentioned that it had no confirmation of the rumors but reiterated that the Vatican considers any ordination without Papal approval to be illegal.

"The Holy See hopes that such reports are baseless. If not, it will have to await reliable information and sure documentation before adequately evaluating the cases. However, it is reiterated that it is not licit to proceed with any episcopal ordination without the necessary Papal Mandate, even by appealing to particular personal beliefs," it concluded.

It is estimated that there are currently 12 million Catholics in China, many of whom are members of independent congregations outside the control of the communist party's Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA). Priests who refuse to put themselves under the authority of the party run the risk of severe punishment.

Cardinal Joseph Zen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has cautioned against striking a deal with the CCPA. He argued that such a deal could potentially allow the communist leaders to elect Catholic Bishops. Zen added that it would risk alienating the authentic Catholics in China from the Vatican.