Chinese authorities have invited a bishop of Hong Kong, John Tong Hon, to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the South China Morning Post reported on Monday.
The invitation is seen as further evidence of a thaw in frosty relations between China and the Vatican, which have had no diplomatic relations since the Communists came to power in 1950.
''The Holy Father recently sent his blessing to China for a successful Olympics. I will follow up his best wishes by participating as a witness at this joyous national event,'' Tong said.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Tong 'coadjutor' bishop in January, meaning he will step into the shoes of 76-year-old cardinal Joseph Zen as the head of Hong Kong's Catholic community upon Zen's retirement.
Tong's invitation to attend the August 8 ceremony comes a month after the Vatican hosted a concert by the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra, at which the Pope sent greetings to ''the entire Chinese people''.
The Catholic community in China, said to number between 12 and 14 million, is divided between those whose final allegiance is with the pope and those who accept the ultimate authority of the Chinese state.
This split makes every bishop's appointment a source of tension. The Vatican says it should have the final word, a situation which is unacceptable for the state-run Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics.
Last September the Holy See recognised a state-appointed bishop for the first time.
