BEIJING (AP) -- China plans to ordain a Vatican-approved bishop on Wednesday, but a bishop chosen against the pope's wishes may join the ceremony - in the latest tug-of-war between the country's state-controlled Catholic church and the Holy See.

A Chinese official confirmed Tuesday that Peter Luo Xuegang would be ordained coadjutor bishop of Yibin diocese in southwestern Sichuan province.

While Luo's elevation has papal approval, the Vatican-affiliated news agency AsiaNews reports that another bishop, appointed by the state church and effectively excommunicated, may attend. AsiaNews says the attendance of Paul Lei Shiyin may taint the ordination if he takes part.

Control over the appointment of senior clerics is at the center of the long-standing rift between the Vatican and the China-backed church.