On Monday, the Vatican released a very unusual statement to the Chinese Catholics in China as the Holy See continues negotiations with the Chinese government.
In the statement, the Vatican cited reports about unauthorized ordinations of bishops in the "unofficial Catholic community." Catholics in China are currently divided into two factions, one is aligned with the Holy See and the other is aligned with the Chinese government.
The statement said that: "The Holy See has not authorized 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."
The issue regarding the ordination of bishops remains a sticking point for both the Vatican and the Chinese government, which remains at play in the current negotiations. However, several media reports said that some Catholics in China and around the world have criticized the current negotiations because they believe that it is an offence to Catholic bishops, priests and lay people for refusing to join the official Church.
AsiaNews reported that the statement was actually prompted after Father Dong Guanhua, a self-ordained bishop, threatened to ordain more priests as bishops. If this occurs, it may trigger problem for the Chinese Catholic Church that supports the Holy See and put a wrench in the current negotiations.
Many groups remarked that this statement from the Vatican is unusual because they have often condemned official, government-backed Church for ordaining bishops without papal mandate and has not issued a similar warning to the faction loyal to the pope.
One senior Vatican bishop remarked that, "We wanted to send a signal to our own in order to show that the rules apply to both sides."
The statement also points out that the ordination of bishops need papal permission and could not be done just because of "particular personal beliefs."
Several sources have said that the representatives from both parties are expected to meet in Rome at the end of the year to finalize the deal regarding ordinating bishops.
