In yesterday’s LA Times there was an article titled “China Accepts Pope’s Choice of Bishop” in which the Vatican is approving of a Catholic bishop that is appointed by China. The article states that shortly before Pope Benedict XVI had publicly denounced the ordination of two bishops in Beijing because they had been done without the approval of the Vatican.
With regards to the two “unofficial” appointments, the article states that normally the penalty for this kind of act would be excommunication for the bishops, they are apparently not allowed to receive the title without papal approval, but in this particular case the Vatican was still deciding because the ceremony might have been done under duress.
I found the article informative but thought it could have added more insight with particular points. For example, when it mentioned that China had made the appointments it did not specify/explain what entity was involved. Was it some branch of the government, or a government sanctioned religious entity? Also, it mentioned how China has traditionally not let Chinese Catholics recognize the authority of the Vatican, but it did not go into more detail to explain how it enforces or monitors this rule.
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