Cardinal Tauran in Taipei : an end to diplomatic ties not in view
The Cardinal's visit to the island has been the subject of speculation that the Vatican is about to abandon relations with Taiwan in order to establish them with Beijing. From the Vatican to AsiaNews: "There is nothing new to signal".
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) The forthcoming visit of Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran to Taiwan has created expectations and rumours that the Vatican is about to break its diplomatic relations with the island and resume relations with Beijing. There has, however, been no confirmation of this from the Vatican.
Cardinal Tauran will arrive in Taipei on November 25 and will meet President Chen Shuibian. The visit of the Vatican's former "foreign minister" will last one week, during which President Chen will present him with a medal in recognition of his work in favour of Taiwan/Vatican relations. Cardinal Tauran will also meet with prominent figures from the cultural and scholastic milieus.
Such a high level visit has set off some speculation that Cardinal Tauran's presence could set the stage for severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan and opening relations with the People's Republic of China. The South China Morning Post dedicated its front page today to such guesswork.
These hasty suppositions were denied, however, by a spokesperson of the Taipei government. Figures close to the Vatican told AsiaNews that "there is nothing new to signal," in relations between China and the Vatican. A priest in Hong Kong stated that Beijing's timid steps of overture following the death of John Paul II have been "betrayed" by the recent arrest of priests and bishops.
In the days following the funeral of Pope John Paul II, figures from the Chinese government had made it seem that Beijing was read to begin talks on diplomatic relations. As a sign of innovation, the Chinese government promised to send several bishops to Rome to take part in the Synod on the Eucharist and asked the Sisters of Mother Teresa to open a home for the elderly in Qingdao. None of these signals were confirmed: no dialogue began; the bishops were not granted permission to go to Rome; the Sisters are still waiting for definite permission to enter China.
China continues its refrain of saying that, before embarking on diplomatic relations, the Vatican must break its ties with Taiwan. Last month, Cardinal Angelo Sodano had clearly expressed himself in saying that the Vatican was ready to move its Nunciature in Taipei back to Beijing. But he also stressed that Beijing must be prepared to guarantee full religious freedom to Catholics, including the naming of bishops and that the Patriotic Association, the organ that controls the Church, be put aside. Various church figures have pointed out that Beijing cannot request that relations with Taiwan be severed as a pre-condition to diplomatic relations. In the case of South Africa, South Korea and the United States, Beijing established diplomatic relations first and then obtained the severing of ties with Taiwan.
.png)
23/10/2007
