Hong Kong, China - The top Catholic official on Chinese soil has lashed out at Beijing, saying the ordinations last year of three bishops without Vatican approval were illegitimate and "acts of war."
Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, who travelled to the Vatican last month to map out the Holy See's China strategy, told the BBC on Friday: "These three illegitimate ordinations ... are acts of war against the church.
"So how can you say that we opt for confrontation? They are waging a war, they want to destroy the church," said Zen, the head of Hong Kong's Catholic dioceses and a Vatican adviser on Chinese affairs.
A battle between Beijing and the Vatican over control of church posts flared as China's state-backed Catholic church installed bishops without papal blessing last year.
Until then, bishops were appointed after unofficial consultations with Rome.
Zen has been a thorn in Beijing's side over the years with his outspoken opposition to the communist government's control of the church and involvement in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.
In the BBC interview, Zen said China's refusal to recognize the Vatican's authority had overturned two decades of compromise efforts.
Last month, China's state-backed Church welcomed an olive branch extended by the Vatican, which had issued a statement calling for "respectful and constructive dialogue" to normalize ties.
The Vatican recognizes Beijing's diplomatic rival Taiwan, and China's 10 million Catholics are divided between an underground church loyal to the Holy See and the state-approved church that respects the Pope as a spiritual figurehead but rejects effective papal control.