Catholic leaders meet President to discuss missioners' concerns
Taipei (AsiaNews/Ucan) Catholic leaders in Taiwan have asked President Chen Shui-bian to help foreign missioners obtain residency.
Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi of Kaohsiung, president of the bishops' conference, led a delegation that included more than 70 foreign missioners working throughout Taiwan. They met Chen on Feb. 3 at the presidential office.
The Catholic delegation asked the president to make it easier for elderly missioners who have spent most of their life serving Taiwan's people to gain permanent residency. It also asked Chen to facilitate visas for new foreign missioners so they can continue their predecessors' work.
Auxiliary Bishop James Liu Tan-kuei of Taipei, one of the delegation leaders, told UCA News on Feb. 11 that the bishops' conference has, in the past, discussed these issues with the Ministry of the Interior. He said the ministry took advantage of the extended festivities keyed to the Lunar New Year on Jan. 22 to invite Cardinal Shan and the missioners to the president's office for a discussion.
The residency issue has long been a problem for missioners, most of whom have to renew their residency permission every year, Bishop Liu said.
Cases of missioners who forget to renew their permission and must leave Taiwan and apply for re-entry are not uncommon, he explained. He added that this happens even to senior missioners who have been serving in Taiwan for decades.
"Many old missioners have dedicated most of their lives to Taiwan and are more Taiwanese than local people. They have pioneered a number of social services such as those for the elderly and the mentally disabled," the bishop added.
The 2001 Taiwan Catholic Church Directory records 325 non-Chinese priests, 33 brothers and 306 nuns working in Taiwan. According to Bishop Liu, about half of these foreign missioners are over 50.
Foreign priests are nearly the same in number as the 339 Chinese priests, while foreign brothers and nuns number about half of their Chinese counterparts -- 70 Chinese brothers and 772 Chinese nuns -- in the directory.
According to Taiwan's current immigration law, missioners may apply for a Permanent Alien Resident Certificate if they have legally and continuously held an Alien Resident Certificate for more than seven years. They must be in Taiwan more than 183 days each year to keep the certificate.
However, most missioners opt not to apply for permanent residency status because "it is very complicated," says Grace Chou En-en, secretary for the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She oversees residency applications for the congregation's foreign missioners in Taiwan.
Chou told UCA News on Feb. 16 that some find it hard to comply with the requirement of staying the minimum 183 days every year after obtaining permanent residency. Some who have been in Taiwan for a long time also find it difficult to obtain the police criminal record clearance certificates from their home nations that are required for the permanent residence application, she added.
Many decide simply to renew their Alien Residence Certificate every year by paying 1,000 New Taiwan dollars (US dollars 30), one-tenth of the fee required for permanent residency, Chou said.
The delegation that met with Chen also requested simplification of procedures for new missioners coming to Taiwan to take up the work begun by elderly missioners of their congregation.
Father Raimondo Yang Chia-men, who heads the Order of St. Camillus in Taiwan, told UCA News on Feb. 16 that six of his 10 foreign confreres in Taiwan, all over 60, have permanent residency status." For our congregation, enabling more young confreres to come to Taiwan is more urgent," he said.
The Camillian superior explained that government restrictions aimed at preventing illegal workers from entering Taiwan make it very difficult for confreres from Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam to obtain visas. "For example, the government required four Filipino brothers (seminarians) applying to Taiwan to be ordained first, while we think it is better for them to come and adjust to the environment here first," he explained.
A press release prepared by the Office of the President after the meeting said Chen praised missioners for their selfless contributions in education and social services, as well as their promotion of cultural development.
According to the release, he promised the government would look into amending immigration law to make it easier for missioners to obtain permanent residency. In the meantime, it said, the government could use a reserve to help missioners pay the NT dollars10,000 fee for the application.
The president reportedly recognized that many foreign missioners love Taiwan more than the local people, and he welcomed their continual stay.
Maryknoll Sister Antoinette Gutzler, one of the missioners who met Chen, said she is "very happy that the president understands the objective of missioners in Taiwan and respects Christianity and the Christian spirit." In her view, "The president was very willing to consider ways to facilitate the arrival and residence of missioners."
Like most missioners on the island, Sister Gutzler has to renew her residency status every year. She was in Taiwan for four years before going to the United States for graduate studies. She has been back in Taiwan for three years since earning her doctoral degree.
The nun noted that any missioner who spends less than 183 days in Taiwan in any year must reapply for an Alien Resident Certificate. "It is very inconvenient," said Sister Gutzler, who now teaches at Fu Jen Catholic University near Taipei. She added that the NT dollars10,000 fee required for the permanent residency application is a burden on Religious congregations.
During the meeting with Chen, Cardinal Shan and the rest of the delegation also asked the president to declare Dec. 25 a public holiday for Christmas. The press release reported the president as saying the request is reasonable and the government will consult the public on the matter.
In a move to improve working conditions in Taiwan, the government approved two Saturdays off each month beginning Jan. 1, 1998. At the same time, it canceled eight national holidays including Dec. 25, Constitution Day.
The bishops' conference in Taiwan has been asking the government to restore Dec. 25 as a holiday because of its significance in global society.
Christians in Taiwan number 725,000, or 3.37 of the total population.
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14/04/2024 13:43
