The Real Power

In another example of how the Catholic Church keeps losing power and influence, China has said that if the Vatican want to settle religious conflicts with China, they must first establish diplomatic relations.

Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, called on the Vatican to change its policies toward the Chinese government before seeking a role in religious affairs. "Once the relationship between the Chinese government and the Vatican improves, the church issues can be resolved," Liu said by telephone.

Liu's comments were the first official response since the Vatican lashed out Thursday against the state-controlled Chinese church's ordination of two bishops without papal consent. The remarks added further gloom to a relationship that earlier this year seemed on the verge of improvement after decades of estrangement. The ordination of the bishops - Ma Yinglin in the city of Kunming on Sunday and Liu Xinhong in the city of Wuhu on Wednesday - broke with a low-key practice in recent years in which the Vatican and Beijing settle on candidates through back-channel communications.

The Vatican had been backtracking on the 'Taiwan' issue and was also 'softening' their evaluation on religious freedom in China and now the Chinese want more. So who's the big dog? Rome's actions don't quite match the rhetoric. Moving away from the flock to cozy up to the tiger - how humanitarian.
Posted on The Human Stain