Four Chinese bishops have been excommunicated for their role in the non-canonical consecration of bishops for the state-controlled counterfeit “Catholic” organization operated by the Beijing regime.

However, as is often the case, the headline assigned to the article does not accurately reflect the reality of the situation.

The Vatican on Thursday excommunicated two bishops ordained by China's state-controlled church without the pope's consent, escalating tensions as the two sides explored preliminary moves toward improving ties. The Vatican also excommunicated the two bishops who ordained them, citing church law.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls cited Article 1382 of the Roman Catholic Church's canon law. That article states that "both the bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a 'latae sententiae excommunication,'" which means they are automatically excommunicated.

As was often pointed out in my canon law classes, such excommunications are automatic and not a matter of official discretion. Technically, the person committing the offense excommunicates themselves by engaging in certain serious offenses. The act of unauthorized consecration of a bishop (an offense against the unity of the Church), like the act of procuring an abortion (an offense against innocent human life), is one of such gravity that knowingly committing the prohibited act results in the penalty. As such, it is incorrect to say that “the Vatican excommunicated” these men.

Earlier, Navarro-Valls said Pope Benedict XVI was deeply saddened by news of the ordinations, which have occurred in recent weeks. "It is a great wound to the unity of the church," Navarro-Valls said in a statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry officials were not available to comment on the excommunications. But earlier, a duty officer referred to an April 30 statement issued after the Vatican criticized the first ordination.

"The criticism toward the Chinese side by the Vatican is groundless," that statement said. "We hope the Vatican can respect the will of Chinese church and the vast numbers of priests as well as its church members so as to create good atmosphere for the improvement of Sino-Vatican ties."

On Wednesday, the official church, known as the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, ordained Liu Xinhong as bishop at the city of Wuhu's St. Joseph's Church in the eastern province of Anhui.

It was the second ordination in three days without the consent of the Vatican, which traditionally appoints its own bishops. On Sunday, China's official church ordained Ma Yinglin as a bishop in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

The Red Chinese stand ready to ordain another twenty men as bishops over the objections of the Vatican. It therefore seems clear that the recent moves by the Communist regime in Beijing may have been a subterfuge designed to undermine papal authority over Chinese Catholics. In consecrating these bishops, the Chinese government is acting to set up a rival episcopal hierarchy which will perpetuate the Communist-instigated schism in Red China that has endured for over half a century.