This Friday and Saturday, a special meeting on the situation of the Church in China will take place at the Vatican.Now, Jen Ambrose passes on the report that a new Chinese bishop comes with Vatican approval:

The pope has approved Beijing’s appointment of a bishop to one of China’s largest dioceses, a report said Thursday, the first blessing of a Chinese bishop since a rift in Sino-Vatican ties last year.

Pope Benedict XVI blessed the ordination of Father Gan Junqiu as bishop of the diocese of Guangzhou, the South China Morning Post reported.

The move comes as the Vatican prepares to discuss its policy towards China in hopes of ending a freeze in ties sparked by Beijing’s ordination of bishops without the Holy See’s blessing last year.

"We made a very thorough investigation and the Holy Father gave his approval," a Vatican official was quoted as telling the Post.

More on the meeting from AsiaNews:

A "private" and "sub secreto" meeting has been called by the Vatican and will commence tomorrow. This evening, participants will gather for a dinner at the Santa Marta College inside the Vatican City.  The meeting’s topic will be the situation of the Church in China and relations between the Holy See and the Chinese government. Taking part in the meeting are top figures from the Secretariat of State and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as well as various figures involved in mission towards China: Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop of Hong Kong; Cardinal Paul Shan, Bishop emeritus of Kaohsiung (Taiwan); Monsignor José Lai Hung-seng, Bishop of Macao. Also taking part from the Hong Kong diocese are Auxiliary Bishop John Tong and Dr Anthony Lam, an expert of the Holy Spirit Study Centre, the diocese’s institute of theology and for documentation on China.

It’s a rather long article with a helpful analysis of the present situation.

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