Battle of the Bishops

For China's rulers, improving relations with the Vatican would seem to fit with their efforts to burnish the country's international prestige. But the government remains cautious about expanding religious freedoms, mindful, no doubt, of the role the Catholic Church played in the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe. And despite the Vatican's charm offensive, Beijing has refused to negotiate the release of the scores of Catholics loyal to Rome who sit in Chinese prisons, according to Nicolas Becquelin, China researcher for the New York City–based Human Rights Watch. To some, China's decision to ordain the two bishops was a deliberate bid to reassert its authority over the country's Catholics. Becquelin believes that church officials may have overestimated China's flexibility. "There was never any intention by Beijing to change or loosen its grip on religion," he says. "Either they got an agreement on their terms, or they maintain the status quo under which they have pretty good control of the underground Catholic Church."

The question is whether Beijing's moves have wrecked the possibility of détente with Rome. Navarro-Valls said that the Pope was willing to continue discussions about normalizing relations so long as Beijing agreed to stop ordaining bishops on its own. But some Vatican officials say that Beijing may not find Benedict in such a generous mood in the future. Says a senior Vatican official: "It's a demonstration of bad faith on the part of the Chinese government ... [they] are used to playing these mind games, of using brinkmanship." Of course, that's a game the Vatican knows how to play as well.