Two bishops have been ordained in China's official, Beijing-approved Church with papal approval. The elevations bring to four the number of bishops ordained with the blessing of both Rome and the China Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) since the Pope wrote to Chinese Catholics in June asserting the Vatican's authority to appoint bishops.

Bishop Joseph Gan Junqiu, 43, was ordained on Tuesday at the Gothic 120-year-old Sacred Heart Cathedral in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, 1,200 miles south of Beijing. Francis Lu Shouwang, 41, of Yichang, which includes the Three Gorges Dam, was made bishop the previous Thursday. According to UCA News both had a papal mandate.

Church media from outside mainland China were kept from attending Bishop Lu's ordination, and all foreign media were barred from Bishop Gan's Mass, for which there was also a considerable police presence.

Delays over Bishop Gan's ordination stemmed from unease within the CCPA after Bishop Gan publicly pledged allegiance to the Vatican, AsiaNews reported. Liu Bainian, vice-head of the CCPA, said if the ordinations were Vatican-approved "it is good for the relationship between China and the Vatican".