Vatican denounces China over ordination

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican yesterday denounced China for ordaining a bishop without papal consent, accusing the government-backed church of gravely damaging the faith and warning that the bishop risked excommunication.

The Vatican also accused Chinese authorities of committing “grave violations of freedom of religion and conscience’’ by forcing Vatican-approved bishops to attend the ordination ceremony of the Rev. Joseph Guo Jincai, the Vatican said in a statement.

Guo was ordained a bishop Saturday in Chengde, China, the first time in five years that the nation had carried out an ordination without Rome’s consent. News reports have said Chinese authorities forced at least three Vatican-approved bishops to attend, sequestering them for several days beforehand.