Chinese Prime Minister reaffirms pre-conditions for relations with Vatican
Beijing (AsiaNews) Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said today that China is willing to build relations with the Vatican, but only if the new Pope breaks ties with Taiwan and if the Vatican agrees to "not interfere" in China's internal affairs. At a news conference with visiting French Premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Wen specified that "the Vatican must recognize that there is only one China in the world, and the Vatican cannot interfere in China's internal affairs."
Wen's comments echoes the conditions mentioned by various spokespeople at the time of John Paul II's death and immediately following Pope Benedict XVI's election. But it was the first time that a Chinese leader made such a comment in public. According to various observers, this is a sign that China cannot help but tackle the question.
Beijing's conditions have not changed over the past 20 years. In the past, the Vatican's Secretary of State and, recently, the Bishop of Hong Kong, Msgr Joseph Zen, had reaffirmed that the Taiwan question is easily resolvable, but the Catholic Church expects full religious freedom to be guaranteed, particularly with regard to the naming of Chinese bishops and on the role of the Patriotic Association, the entity by which the Communist Party controls Churches.
Yesterday, newly-elected Pope Benedict XVI, in a message published at the end of the Mass celebrated in the Sistine Chapel, stressed that he wishes to pursue dialogue "with various civilisations, because it is mutual understanding that gives rise to conditions for a better future for everyone."
For many Catholics in China, the name chosen by the Pope, Benedict XVI, is a sign of hope. Benedict XV was very much involved in Church missionary efforts and worked for the establishment of seminaries that paid careful attention to the local culture in China. His efforts led to the first ordination of bishops, which took place in 1926, under Pope Pius XI.
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