From Jen Ambrose, in today’s South China News:

Unfortunately, it is available to subscribers only, but I thought you might appreciate the article, kind of a heads up to something that might be carried later by Asianews.it website.  Accompanying the article was a picture of Ma in full bishop garb.  Over the weekend there was another article about Bishop Zen’s initial response where he referred to Mr. Liu’s actions as "sabotage."

Vatican must halt talks with Beijing, says Zen
We can’t surrender, says cardinal as appointment of another bishop planned

Diplomatic negotiations between the Holy See and Beijing should be put on hold because of Beijing’s appointment of bishops without Vatican approval, the outspoken head of Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic diocese said yesterday.

The Vatican was expected to make a "very strong reaction to underline the seriousness of the matter" today or tomorrow, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said.

He was speaking after the mainland appointed one bishop without Vatican approval and was preparing to appoint another tomorrow.

In addition, an installation Mass has been scheduled later in the month for another bishop who was appointed with five others, also without the Holy See’s approval, in 2000 to counter the Vatican’s canonisation of 120 Chinese martyrs.

The installation Mass – a formal greeting to parishioners after a cleric becomes a bishop – has been scheduled on May 14 for Zhan Silu , bishop of the Mindong diocese in Fujian .

Cardinal Zen said he suspected the latest moves were an effort by Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association vice-chairman Anthony Liu Bainian to "sabotage" warming Beijing-Vatican ties.

"[The dialogue] cannot continue, because people will think we are prepared to surrender," Cardinal Zen said. "We cannot budge. When you brutally place such a fait accompli, how can you call this dialogue? This totally runs against the spirit of dialogue.

"I think it’s Liu Bainian’s last struggle to show that he can win once or twice. But this last-ditch struggle will definitely damage the dialogue."

Father Gianni Criveller, of Hong Kong’s Holy Spirit Study Centre, said the patriotic association might have initiated the moves to protect its own powers and may not be acting on the orders of state leaders.

"State leaders are not yet sure about re-establishing ties so they are taking a wait-and-see attitude."

Beatrice Leung Kit-fun, an expert on Sino-Vatican affairs in Taiwan, said Beijing’s hostility reflected a desire to protest against negotiation terms set by the Vatican.

Priests, seminarians and nuns in Wuhu , Anhui province  , were yesterday rehearsing for tomorrow’s ordination of church administrator Liu Xinhong as the bishop of Anhui.

Father Liu, a church administrator for the Anhui diocese, was denied Vatican approval to become a bishop after a lengthy investigation. But despite declining the appointment in February, he has agreed to tomorrow’s ceremony.

If Father Liu’s ordination goes ahead as planned, he will be the second prelate Beijing has appointed in a week without Vatican approval. On Sunday, Ma Yinglin was ordained Bishop of Kunming , Yunnan province , despite demands by the Holy See that the ceremony be delayed.

The Catholic Church was furious about Bishop Ma’s appointment because it had begun investigating his background in March.

Contacted in Anhui yesterday, Father Liu immediately hung up when asked whether the ceremony would go ahead.

Members of the church in Anhui said the faithful had no idea whether Father Liu was endorsed by the Vatican, despite widespread publicity about the ceremony by officials from the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the state-sanctioned body that oversees the Chinese church.