Vatican rejects China unilateral ordination

The Vatican on Monday rejected the unauthorised ordination of a priest as bishop by China's state-run Catholic Church last month as illegitimate. Paul Lei Shiyin was unilaterally ordained as bishop on June 29, in a move the Holy See charged was divisive and looked set to dampen recently improved ties between the Vatican and China's Communist Party. "Rev. Lei Shiyin, ordained without the Papal mandate and hence illegitimately, has no authority to govern the diocesan Catholic community, and the Holy See does not recognise him," a statement said. "The effects of the sanction which he has incurred through violation of the norm of can. 1382 of the Code of Canon Law remain in place," the Vatican added, referring to excommunication. "An episcopal ordination without Papal mandate is directly opposed to the spiritual role of the Supreme Pontiff and damages the unity of the Church," the statement said, adding that it had "deeply saddened" Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican-linked AsiaNews website reported last week that the ordination, unapproved by the Holy See but backed by Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), took place during a ceremony in southwest China's Sichuan province. China and the Vatican have not had formal diplomatic ties since 1951, when the Holy See angered Mao Zedong's Communist government by recognising the Nationalist Chinese regime in Taiwan as the legitimate government of China. Ties thawed in recent years as China's Catholic population grew, although Beijing's insistence on overriding Vatican authority in approving bishops has created a fresh rift. The Beijing-backed Church said earlier in June it wanted to ordain at least 40 bishops "without delay". China's 5.7 million Catholics are caught between staying loyal to the ruling Communist Party or showing allegiance to the pope as part of an "underground" Church not recognised by the authorities.