Vatican City - The Vatican announced Wednesday that a priest belonging China's communist state-controlled Catholic church has been consecrated with the Holy See's approval.
On July 10, Monsignor Antonio Xu Jiwei, 75, was consecrated as bishop of Taizhou in the province of Zhejiang, China, the Vatican said in a statement.
"The bishop had guided the diocese as diocesan administrator since 1999, and was approved by the Holy See as bishop of Taizhou. The government authorities also approved his episcopal ordination," the Vatican said.
Bishop Xu's consecration took place in a liturgical celebration attended by some 1,000 faithful. It was presided over by four bishops who are also in communion with the Holy See and recognised by the Beijing government, the Vatican said.
In his first address as bishop, the Vatican said, Xu noted that his diocese was "facing various challenges, but he is optimistic about a revival of evangelisation and a growth of the Catholic community."
Earlier this month Chinese authorities released a non-state- authorized Catholic bishop from detention after 15 months despite his refusal to accept Beijing's supervision of his religious practice.
The 75-year-old Jia Zhiguo, bishop of the unregistered or "underground" Roman Catholic diocese of Zhengding in the northern province of Hebei, had previously spent 18 years in prison. His recent detention followed his 13th arrest since 2004.
He was apparently not charged with any crime during his detention.
Beijing and the Vatican broke off ties in 1951 after the Holy See recognized the government of Taiwan, the island that China sees as its breakaway province.
Pope Benedict XVI was seen to have broken new ground in relations with Beijing when in June 2007 he sent a letter to Chinese Catholics expressing admiration for the Chinese people but also the need for greater religious freedom in China.
The Catholic Church in China is split into about 5 million members of the government-administered church, according to official statistics, and more than 10 million estimated members of the underground church, loyal to the Vatican.
Catholics in the underground church often face harassment from Chinese authorities.