A new Roman Catholic bishop of Guangzhou, China, was installed today with the joint approval of the Vatican and the Chinese government.

Coming days after the installation of a bishop in Hubei province, also with the agreement of Beijing and Rome, the event may signal improved relations between the government-approved Chinese Catholic church and an “underground” church loyal to the pope.

Last month, the Chinese government was still apparently blocking the Guangzhou appointment.

Was the Vatican’s announcement last week that Pope Benedict would not meet officially with the Dalai Lama a factor in Beijing’s growing flexibility? Observers are free to speculate.