More on Bishop Fu of Beijing

More today from the South China Morning Post. Disappointing stuff all around:

The mainland Catholic Church will maintain its unilateral approach when it appoints a successor to Beijing Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan , who died on Friday night, a church official said yesterday. Fu, who died after a long battle with lung cancer at the age of 76, was not recognised by the Vatican as a legitimate bishop because he was appointed by the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association in 1979 without papal approval.
"We will select the next bishop cautiously and seriously," said Liu Bainian , a vice-chairman of the association, after attending a Mass dedicated to Fu.
"The Vatican still maintains a so-called diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. China's church has no normal communication channel [with the Holy See], so my opinion is that we will [appoint a new bishop] using the same approach we have adopted over the past 50 years."
Beijing's appointment of bishops, which began in 1958, has strained its efforts to normalise ties with the Vatican. Mr Liu said the normalisation of Sino-Vatican ties had been Fu's greatest wish, and the impasse was not the mainland's problem.
"On the contrary, the Vatican should face up to the two conditions upheld by the Chinese government," he said. Beijing has been calling for the Vatican to sever ties with Taiwan and not interfere in the mainland's internal affairs, which it says includes appointing bishops.
Asked if the mainland church would invite Hong Kong's Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun to Fu's funeral, Mr Liu said: "Everyone will be welcome to attend."
But, referring to Cardinal Zen, he added: "I think someone would not dare to come to the funeral, as they have been saying China has no religious freedom."
Last night Cardinal Zen said there was good chance he would not attend if invited.
Mr Liu said filling Fu's posts, including the chairmanship of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, would be dealt with after his funeral and cremation on Friday at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.