BEIJING: In a sign of rising tensions between the Vatican and China, authorities have ordained one Catholic bishop without Rome's consent and detained another after he made a dramatic break with the country's Communist-run religious hierarchy.

On Friday, government officials organised the consecration of the Reverend Yue Fusheng as bishop in the northern city of Harbin. Mr Yue's nomination had not been approved by the Vatican, and reports said bishops loyal to Rome were forced to participate - a common practice meant to give Beijing-appointed bishops legitimacy in the eyes of local believers. The Vatican immediately excommunicated him.

Then, on Saturday in Shanghai, the most important city for China's Catholics, the Reverend Ma Daqin, a man widely seen as acceptable to both Beijing and Rome, was consecrated as auxiliary bishop. The move put him in line to succeed Bishop Jin Luxian, 95, who had also been approved by both Beijing and Rome.

But Mr Ma stunned hundreds of worshippers in the city's Cathedral of St Ignatius by announcing he would no longer work for the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the government-run body that oversees Catholics in China.
''In the light of the teaching of our mother church, as I now serve as a bishop, I should focus on pastoral work and evangelisation,'' Mr Ma told the church. ''Therefore, from this day of consecration, it will no longer be convenient for me to be a member of the patriotic association.''

The announcement, captured on video and posted on foreign and Chinese websites, was met with sustained applause from the congregation.

Mr Ma's fate is unclear. Catholic Church members in Shanghai said he did not lead Mass on Sunday as scheduled. They say he was taken away after the service and is being held at the Sheshan Catholic seminary, on the outskirts of Shanghai.

Several other sources, including the Union of Catholic Asian News, a Catholic news service, confirmed Mr Ma's disappearance, although some said he was just ''resting''.

In Beijing, both the patriotic association and the Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Tuesday, saying they were unaware of the developments. The Vatican also declined to comment.

Anthony Lam, a researcher at the Holy Spirit Study Centre, a Hong Kong-based research organisation affiliated with the church, said: ''This could be just the work of local officials. We can see this by the government's reaction.'' 

The New York Times