中国政府支持的教会在中断两年多之后，已开始任命得到梵蒂冈批准的主教，这一迹象显示，双方长期紧张的关系正逐渐好转。
蔡炳瑞周末被任命为天主教福建省厦门教区的主教。他是三周来第三位得到中国政府支持的天主教爱国会(Catholic Patriotic Association)和梵蒂冈两方面认可的主教。
据接近中国与梵蒂冈之间微妙外交谈判的人士介绍，有多达20位主教可能在今后几个月内得到任命。"双方关系有所改善，现在有了更多的相互信任，"一名熟悉谈判情况的人士表示。中国与梵蒂冈自1951年以来从未正式承认对方。
梵蒂冈是发达世界中唯一仍与台湾（而非中国大陆）保持外交关系的国家。与声称对全球逾10亿天主教徒拥有精神号召力的天主教会恢复关系，对北京方面而言是一场重大外交突破。梵蒂冈方面则热衷于在全球人口最多、估计拥有1100万天主教徒的国家扩大自己的存在与影响力。
双方高级外交官员近年来每年会晤两、三次，以推进重建外交关系的持续努力。上一次峰会于2月份在罗马举行，下一次峰会预期将于今年夏天在北京举行。
近期在中国进行的主教任命，对中国境内教会恢复活力也至关重要。新任命的这些主教年龄在40岁左右，他们取代已进入暮年、年龄在80甚至90多岁的前辈，两代人之间的这一差距源自毛泽东时代数十年的宗教压制。在4月18日孟清禄被任命为内蒙古呼和浩特教区主教之前，中国自2007年12月以来未曾任命过任何主教。
孟清禄获得任命几天后，沈斌被任命为天主教海门教区主教。
中梵关系在2006年4月陷入低谷，当时中国单方面任命马英林为云南省昆明教区主教。
中国政府则对梵蒂冈在那之前数月宣布的一项决定感到愤怒；梵蒂冈决定将香港的陈日君(Joseph Zen)从主教升格为枢机。陈日君在香港这一大体上自治的中国特别行政区直言不讳地倡导民主和人权，长期令北京方面头痛。
尽管近期有所改善，但中梵关系仍十分微妙，可能被另一项单方面的主教任命所破坏。
此外，梵蒂冈官员担心，像马英林这样未得到自己认可的主教，可能主持今后某一场主教任命仪式。
得到梵蒂冈认可的主教也承受着压力，要求他们参加中国国内的机构，包括天主教全国代表大会，并支持这些机构的正当性；梵蒂冈不承认天主教全国代表大会的权威。
译者/何黎
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001032531
China's state-backed Church has begun to ordain Vatican-approved bishops after a hiatus of more than two years, signalling that long-strained relations between the two sides are on the mend.
Cai Bingrui was ordained bishop of Xiamen, in southeastern Fujian province, at the weekend. He was the third bishop to be installed in as many weeks with the approval of both China's government-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association and the Vatican.
According to people close to delicate diplomatic talks between China and the Vatican, which have not recognised each other since 1951, as many as 20 mutually agreed bishops could be ordained over coming months. "There has been some improvement in relations and there is now more mutual trust," said one person familiar with the negotiations.
The Vatican is the only country in the developed world that still maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than China. The re-establishment of relations with the Church, which claims spiritual leadership over 1bn Catholics worldwide, would represent a major diplomatic coup for Beijing. For its part, Rome is eager to boost its presence and influence in the world's most populous nation, which is home to an estimated 11m Catholics.
Senior diplomatic officials from both sides have been meeting two or three times a year in their ongoing effort to re-establish diplomatic relations. The last summit was held in Rome in February, with the next expected in Beijing this summer.
The recent ordinations in China are also vital to the rejuvenation of the Church there. The new bishops, in their late 30s or early 40s, are replacing elderly predecessors in their 80s or even 90s � a generation gap stemming from decades of religious repression under Mao Zedong. Before the April 18 ordination of Meng Qinglu in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, there had not been a bishop appointment in China since December 2007.
A few days after Bishop Meng's installation, Shen Bin was ordained as the new bishop of Haimen in Jiangsu province.
Sino-Vatican relations hit bottom in April 2006, when China unilaterally ordained Ma Yinglin as bishop of Kunming, in south-western Yunnan province.
The Chinese government had itself been angered by the Vatican's decision, announced a few months earlier, to elevate Bishop Joseph Zen of Hong Kong to cardinal. Cardinal Zen, an outspoken champion of democracy and human rights in the largely autonomous Chinese Special Administrative Region, has long been a thorn in Beijing's side.
Despite recent improvements, Sino-Vatican relations remain delicate and could be easily derailed by another unilateral bishop appointment.
In addition, Church officials worry that a bishop not recognised by the Vatican, such as Mr Ma, might preside over an upcoming ordination.
Bishops approved by Rome are also under pressure to attend and lend legitimacy to Chinese domestic bodies, including the National Congress of Catholic Representatives, whose authority is not recognised by the Pope.
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