Pope Ex-communicate Four Chinese Bishops

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Yesterday, the Vatican excommunicated two Chinese Bishops which the Chinese government had ordained without any consultation with the Pope. (The nerve of this Communist government, eh?) The Vatican also excommunicated the two Bishops whom ordained the two.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls cited Article 1382 of the Roman Catholic Church's canon law. That article states that "both the bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a 'latae sententiae excommunication,'" which means they are automatically excommunicated. <...>

The ordinations come as China and the Holy See try to re-establish ties that ended after communists took control of China in 1949.

Formal ties would give some security to Vatican loyalists in China, who are frequently harassed and fined and sometimes sent to labor camps. Most Chinese Catholics are only allowed to worship in government-controlled churches, but millions are loyal to the Vatican.

But the Vatican said any dialogue was at risk now. <...>

The Holy See also expressed alarm at reports that 20 more bishops might be ordained without Vatican approval and stressed "the need for respect for freedom of the church and for the autonomy of its institutions from any external interference."

It added the Vatican "sincerely hopes that there will not be a repetition of these unacceptable acts of violence and inadmissible acts of coercion." [article by Alessandra Rizzo]

China is trying to squash religious freedom. Period. That is unacceptable. If these Communists won't listen President George W. Bush, maybe they will listen to the Vatican. After all, the Vatican has many more followers. God has many! It is wise not to mess with Him!