The People’s Republic of China, home of the 2008 Summer Olympics, is at it again, holding an ordination of a bishop unapproved by the Vatican and enticing and forcing bishops whose ordinations have been approved to take part:

Two bishops in Hebei province have been detained to force them to take part in the ordination of a bishop tomorrow in Xuzhou (Jiangsu) without the permission of the Holy See. The two bishops belong to the official Church but their ordinations were approved by the Vatican. They are Mgr Peter Feng Xinmao, ordained on January 3, 2004, as bishop coadjutor of Hengshui, and Mgr Li Liangui of Cangzhou (Xianxian), ordained in March 2000.

Source in Hebei told AsiaNews that the two bishops were driven away by officials from the Religious Affairs Bureau, ostensibly to check on some Church property in Hebei confiscated by the state in the past and that the two dioceses want back.

Instead of going to property’s location, the car went straight to Xuzhou where they are to be forced to take part in the ordination of Wang Renlei, scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8 am. At present it is impossible to get in touch with the them.

Other bishops expected to take part in the ceremony are in isolation and subjected to physical and psychological pressures. They are Mgr Joseph Zhao Fengchang, bishop of Liaocheng (Shandong) and Mgr Joseph Xu Honggen, bishop of Suzhou. They were both ordained with the permission of the Holy See.

Detaining bishops under duress is becoming the Chinese government’s only way to get bishops to attend unlawful ordinations (i.e. without Holy See’s blessing), because pastors in China’s official Church have stopped ordaining and are refusing to be ordained in the official Church without the Vatican’s permission.

From today:

A bishop abducted by the Religious Affairs Bureau to force him to participate in an Episcopal ordination not sanctioned by the Holy See was able to escape and is now in hiding until the ritual is performed. Mgr Li Liangui of Cangzhou (Xianxian) was detained along with Mgr Peter Feng Xinmao, bishop of Hengshui, and taken to Xuzhou (Jiangsu) to take part in the ordination of Fr Wang Renlei as bishop.