On the day when Fr. Joseph Liao Hongqing was to be ordained the "official" bishop of the Meixian diocese in China's Guangdong province, local officials of the state-run Catholic Patriotic Association thought they had the situation under control.
Fr. Liao had been approved by both the pope and Chinese authorities, but eyewitnesses say local officials were vigilant. Fr. Liao was not allowed to use his mobile phone prior to the ceremony, and other priests and nuns were kept at a ...