Swords and Scallops

Via Washington Post:

A Chinese bishop will be ordained Sunday with the approval of the Pope after two were consecrated this week without the pontiff's consent, a Vatican-affiliated news agency reported Saturday.

The Rev. Paolo Pei Junmin will be made coadjutor bishop of the Shenyang diocese in northeast China at a ceremony Sunday morning in the city's cathedral, the Rome-based AsiaNews agency reported.AsiaNews quoted a Vatican official as saying Pei was considered an "excellent candidate" by Rome and had Pope Benedict XVI's approval.

The ordination follows the consecrations this week of two Chinese bishops who were not approved by the pope. The ordinations prompted a strong reaction from the Vatican, which said they warranted automatic excommunication for the bishops and the men who ordained them, although it conceded that the prelates may have been pressured by China's government-run church into accepting the appointments.

Canon law experts said such pressure may constitute a mitigating factor that could nullify or lessen any penalty if the pope were to proceed with a formal excommunication process.

The Vatican press office said it had no comment on the AsiaNews report, although officials noted the agency is reliable...

I'm praying that Pope Benedict XVI will be able to pay China a visit some time. China won't solve its religious persecution problems if people just condemn them.