Administration protests Vatican's refusal of bishops

BEIJING - China's religious affairs administration denounced the Vatican's excommunication of two Chinese Catholic bishops, saying the decision was "extremely unreasonable and rude".

The bishops were ordained by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association to ensure the better management of the church and the spreading of the Gospel, the State Administration for Religious Affairs said in a statement issued on Monday.

Yang Yu, a spokesman for the association, declined to comment on the matter.