Relations between China and the Vatican were tense yesterday after Beijing revoked the title of a newly ordained Catholic bishop.

The decision breaks nearly six months of silence that followed Ma Daqin’s explosive first sermon on July 7 as auxiliary Bishop of Shanghai, a service at which he renounced his membership of the Beijing-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and enraged the Chinese authorities. Mr Ma was immediately taken away by officials and has not been seen in public since, and dozens of priests and nuns were questioned about the incident.

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