Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI felt "great sorrow" over China's latest ordination of a bishop without papal approval, the Vatican said on Saturday, describing it as a grave development.
The ordination on Thursday was the third known case this year, aggravating tensions between China and the Holy See.
"The Holy Father learned the news with great sorrow, because the episcopal ordination was conferred without the pontifical mandate" and thus violated Catholic Church law, the Vatican press office said in a statement.
It was the first reaction from the Holy See since the ordination, which occurred when the pope and some of his top aides were on a visit to Turkey.
On Friday, Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen accused Beijing of reneging on a promise to the Holy See to stop the practice.
China's government-backed Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association on Thursday ordained Wang Renlei, vicar-general of the Xuzhou diocese in the eastern province of Jiangsu.
Beijing broke ties with the Vatican in 1951 after the communists took power and set up a separate Catholic church outside the authority of the Holy See. Local faithful are only allowed to worship with the state-sanctioned church.
The Xuzhou ordination "was the latest of illegitimate episcopal ordinations, which trouble the Catholic Church in China for several decades, creating divisions in diocesan communities and tormenting the conscience of many churchmen and faithful," the Vatican statement said.
The Holy See, "learning about the planned ordination at the last minute," tried to take steps so that "a new laceration in church communion" didn't occur,the Vatican said, without spelling out the steps.
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