China's government-backed Catholic church has ordained a third bishop in less than a year without Papal approval, in a move expected to further strain ties between Beijing and the Vatican.

The state-sanctioned church on Thursday elevated the Rev. Joseph Huang Bingzhang as the bishop of Shantou city in southern Guangdong province. It is the third such ordination since November 2010.

Sources close to the Vatican are quoted as saying Beijing is likely to ordain more bishops in the near future and say Huang could be ex-communicated from the church for his role in the ceremony.

The Vatican-affiliated news agency AsiaNews reported Wednesday that eight bishops loyal to the Vatican participated in the ceremonies under pressure from Chinese authorities.

Beijing and Rome broke formal diplomatic ties shortly after Chinese communists rose to power in 1949.

The two sides differ over who has authority to appoint bishops. But reports have circulated that the two sides have periodically engaged in secret talks aimed at normalizing relations.

China's 8 to 12 million Catholics are divided between the state-sanctioned church and an underground church loyal to the Vatican.