Vatican Considers Cutting Ties with Taiwan -Bishop

[Judi Lynn]

Tuesday 05.04.2005, CET 11:22

April 5, 2005 8:50 AM

Vatican Considers Cutting Ties with Taiwan -Bishop
By Tan Ee Lyn

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Vatican is reluctantly ready tocut ties with Taiwan and recognize China if Beijing canguarantee religious freedom, the head of the Hong Kong RomanCatholic diocese said on Tuesday.

China and the Vatican have shown signs of rapprochement inthe past only to hit new lows, and Beijing, concerned aboutchallenges to Communist Party rule, is unlikely to end itscontrol over religious groups.

But the comments could indicate an overture on the part ofthe Holy See coming just days after the death of Pope JohnPaul. No Vatican spokesman was immediately available forcomment.

Speaking to Reuters on Tuesday, Bishop Joseph Zen playeddown Hong Kong media reports quoting him as saying that theHoly See was "thinking of giving up" Taiwan, which China hasregarded as a breakaway province since the Chinese civil warended in 1949.
(snip/...)

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5656563&cKey=1112675718000

[saracat]

1. Hey, the Pope has been dead one day, and who is this

making decisions? These type of questions are supposed to be "shelved" until there is a new Pope!

[oneighty]

6. The Vatican Speaks

The White House Speaks

Inanimate objects speaking. It is a miracle!

I do not believe our dearly departed Pope has made his own decisions in years.

180

[universalcitizen]

11. Popettes all, except China...maybe there will be the Miracle of Beijing

[truthisfreedom]

2. i have no doubt Taiwan is equally ready to offer religious freedom, and i

also doubt they've ever had any restrictions on religious freedom.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Here's a story from Newsweek....

Bishop: Vatican Wants to Cut Taiwan Ties

By MIN LEE
Associated Press Writer

April 5, 2005, 4:19 AM EDT

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's bishop said the Vatican wants to cut formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognize the island's rival China, where millions of Roman Catholics risk arrest by worshipping in underground churches.

An official at Taiwan's Embassy to the Holy See said Tuesday the report was false, and calls to the Vatican were not immediately returned.

China's communist leaders ordered Catholics to break ties with the Vatican in 1951. Catholics can only worship in state-sanctioned churches, but millions loyal to the Vatican attend underground churches. The government frequently harasses their followers and clergy.

"The Vatican is planning to give up Taiwan. There's no other way," Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen, who heads the only Roman Catholic church on Chinese soil, told reporters late Monday. "Even though this is a difficult thing to do, it has decided to go ahead."
(snip/...)

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-vatican-taiwan,0,5698720.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I agree with Saracat who said this is a strange way for the Vatican to do business, considering there's no Pope in place. Very odd.

[sandnsea]

7. Some kind of pot stirring

Rile up the Taiwanese while there's nobody to officially deny the report?? I don't get it, but it sure sounds political to me.

[Kinkistyle]

4. Imagine a billion new parishioners.

Man, they must be salivating over at the Vatican. Who needs an island of a million or so, if you can hit the jackpot of a billion.

[megatherium]

5. Hong Kong bishop controlled by Beijing? nt

[Merlin]

8. It makes perfect sense to implement a very unpopular act during interegnum

This way the stain will fall on some lower level bureaucrat rather than either the beloved JP2 or the next Pope.

[emad]

9. Vatican to Consider Severing Diplomatic Ties with Taiwan

By Luis Ramirez
Beijing
05 April 2005

Following the death of Pope John Paul II, Hong Kong's Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Zen has said the Vatican may consider severing diplomatic ties with Taipei and recognizing Beijing.

For years, church officials have said the Holy See might switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing if the Communist authorities would allow the Vatican to appoint bishops in China, as it does in other countries.

Hong Kong's Catholic bishop, Joseph Zen, alluded to that position earlier this week, as the world focused on possible changes at the Vatican following the death of Pope John Paul II.

But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang suggested Beijing is not ready to consider easing its controls over Chinese Catholics. Mr. Qin says religion in China must be independent of foreign influences or forces.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-04-05-voa9.cfm

[emad]

10. See also:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1369238&mesg_id=1369238