Vatican: China has no right to revoke bishop title

Bishop Ma Daquin was jointly named for the post in a rare consensus between Beijing and the Vatican. He has been confined to a seminary since announcing his intention to drop out of the government agency that oversees the officially sanctioned church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, in front of a congregation during his July 7 ordination as auxiliary bishop.

Chinese authorities announced the decision to revoke his title at an internal meeting this week.

The No. 2 official in the Vatican's missionary office, Hong Kong Monsignor Savio Hon Tai-Fai, said Thursday that Ma remains auxiliary bishop and that the "so-called" Chinese Catholics bishops' conference has no authority to change that.