The Vatican’s AsiaNews agency reports that China’s government is threatening to delay the installation of a new Catholic Bishop of Guangzhou.

The new bishop has approval from both the Vatican and the state-backed Catholic Patriotic Association, but Beijing is apparently blocking the ordination unless Rome permits another bishop, who does not enjoy Vatican approval, to take part in the ceremony.

The struggle between an officially approved Chinese Catholic church and an “underground” church loyal to Rome has lasted more than half a century. Pope Benedict addressed the conflict in a pastoral letter to Chinese Catholics this past May.

Hopes for a reconciliation between the two churches rose in September when a new Bishop of Beijing took office with the joint backing of the Vatican and the Chinese government.