Beijing, China ? China’s official Roman Catholic church named a U.S.-educated bishop Sunday – reportedly with papal approval – as Beijing rejected Vatican criticism of the unauthorized ordination of two other bishops.

The Rev. Paolo Pei Junmin was named assistant bishop of Shenyang, the biggest city in China’s northeast, said Liu Bainian, deputy chairman of the official church, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Assn., which has no ties to Rome.

Liu told The Associated Press the Chinese church had no contact with the Vatican ahead of the ordination. But the Vatican-affiliated AsiaNews agency said Pei was endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI.

China’s ordination of two bishops last week without Benedict’s approval angered the Vatican, which warned that those who took part might face excommunication. The clash set back Benedict’s efforts to reach out to Beijing in hopes of forming official relations.

China’s Catholics were forced to cut ties to the Vatican after the 1949 communist revolution. But the Holy See and China’s church communicate informally and most Chinese bishops have received papal endorsement.

Pei, 37, studied theology in the mid-1990s at a seminary in Pennsylvania.