While the Chinese government is no fan of religion, it signaled this week a willingness to let the Vatican have a say in episcopal nominations.

Chinese authorities speaking through the English language Global Post run by the Communist Party's People's Daily, said the Holy See would be allowed to choose between two episcopal candidates chosen by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, or SARA.

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Floated in the Global Times, but not yet presented through official channels, the proposal comes courtesy of "an anonymous source close to the negotiations."

The source offered two possible scenarios. Under the first proposal, diocesan committees could elect proposed bishops whose names would be submitted to SARA and the Council of Chinese Bishops. should the Vatican sign off on the selections, they would be installed. A second proposal was that SARA would resent two candidates and the Vatican would choose one.

The Vatican never has ruled out the possibility of choosing episcopal candidates in conjunction with Beijing, so long as the pope has the last word. Global Times referred to the retired Pope Benedict XVI agreeing with the government's involvement in choosing bishops.

"The appointment of bishops for a particular community is understood," Benedict said, "as a constitutive element of the full exercise of the right to religious freedom."

Official dealings with religious matters in China are left to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, or CCPA. It's a Communist Party group that supervises church activities. The party considers its mission to build a church independent of Rome. Obviously that is "incompatible with Catholic doctrine," Benedict said in a letter to Chinese Catholics.

Mao Zedong established the CCPA in 1958 as a way to control the Catholic Church in China. Mao expelled any foreign missionary and arrested many bishops and priests for continuing to pledge allegiance to Rome, rather than the communist party.

While China has changed in many ways in the 25 years, it hasn't changed religious policy. Many Chinese bishops want to be freed from government control or have the CCPA e placed under Church control.

Tagsreligon, Catholic Church, Pope, global post, how chinese catholics practice religion