China on Sunday regrets the Vatican's criticism of its
ordination of two Catholic bishops, saying the accusations were
"unfounded".
"The Vatican's criticism of the Chinese Catholic churches were
unfounded and were in disregard to their history and reality," said
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.
"The Chinese government regrets the criticism from the Vatican
on the matter," Liu said.
On Thursday, the Vatican's spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls
criticized China for ordaining two Catholic bishops and threatened
to punish the bishops ordained and the believers who participated
in the process.
"A spokesman for the State Administration of Religious Affairs
had fully expounded the stance of the Chinese government on the
matter on Saturday," Liu said.
He said the Chinese government pursues "consistent" and "clear"
principles in dealing with China-Vatican relations.
The Vatican must terminate its so-called diplomatic links with
Taiwan, and it should not interfere in China's internal affairs,
including any intervention under the pretext of religious affairs,
said Liu.
"The Chinese government is always sincere and has made
unremitting efforts in improving its ties with the Vatican," the
spokesman said.
China is willing to have constructive dialogues with the Vatican
and seek ways to improve China-Vatican relations, Liu said.
A spokesman for the State Administration of Religious Affairs on
Saturday defended the ordination of the two Catholic bishops by
Chinese believers, saying the Vatican's criticism on China in this
regard "makes no sense."
Also on Saturday, the Catholic Patriotic Association of China
and Chinese Catholic Bishops College issued a statement, saying
that the selection and ordination of the bishops fully reflected
the wish of priests and believers and strictly followed Catholic
traditions.
(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2006)