No time for naivety
Sooner than later, the Holy See papal nunciate will move from Taipei to Beijing. It is also said that as a “consolation gift,” Archbishop of Taipei John Hung (洪山川) might become a cardinal of the church. The government should be on alert: It is not an insignificant move.
Catholics in Taiwan are just a mere 1 percent of the population, but the influence of the Catholic Church in Taiwanese society through health, social relieve and educational institutions — three universities among them — is far from insignificant, as we recently witnessed during the social debate on marriage equality.
Until now, the Catholic Church has enjoyed some privileges in Taiwan. In the past, during the regimes of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), it was due to their staunchly anti-communist stance. Today, it is due to the opportunity that it offers to have a foothold in European and world diplomatic circles through the embassy in the Holy See.
Now that this will soon come to an end, the government should be careful to remove all privileges and free rides that the Catholic Church and its institutions might have enjoyed.
Also, the fact that an institution with such “opinion building” potential is going to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan’s nemesis should be of great concern for the government. No other nation has ever been in this position. Past popes and church officials advocated for a “bridge-church” role for the Taiwanese church. Under pressure from China, it would not be strange if the church in Taiwan was pressed toward a “pro-unification” policy.
Indeed, the Vatican would have to openly accept it to establish diplomatic relations with China — then the more than 200,000 Catholics on the island and the many institutions managed by the Catholic hierarchy could become a hindrance for Taiwan’s future, a true fifth column, a “behind the lines” united front.
In this regard, the government should not be naive, but truly try to stand, preserve and care for the independence of the Taiwanese Catholic Church from any Chinese influence and manipulation.
As it seems that the Holy See is able to adapt to the wishes and needs of states — as it is doing with China — the government, once full diplomatic relations are severed, should request that the curricula of bishop candidates be sent to the Ministry of the Interior for scrutiny before they are appointed to the Taiwanese church.
Until recently, most bishops in Taiwan were from China, and even the conference for Taiwanese bishops is called the “Chinese Regional” (or 臺灣地區 in Chinese), quite a demeaning title for Taiwanese, including Catholics.
Also, any possible future representation from the Holy See in Taiwan should be carefully evaluated. Maybe to have representation in and from the Italian Republic is enough and more meaningful, and will help in avoiding the encroachment of the church’s present privileges.
In dire times we, as a nation, should stand by our principles and take courageous measures.
Name withheld
Because much of what former US president Donald Trump says is unhinged and histrionic, it is tempting to dismiss all of it as bunk. Yet the potential future president has a populist knack for sounding alarums that resonate with the zeitgeist — for example, with growing anxiety about World War III and nuclear Armageddon. “We’re a failing nation,” Trump ranted during his US presidential debate against US Vice President Kamala Harris in one particularly meandering answer (the one that also recycled urban myths about immigrants eating cats). “And what, what’s going on here, you’re going to end up in World War
Earlier this month in Newsweek, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to retake the territories lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. He stated: “If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t [the PRC] take back the lands occupied by Russia that were signed over in the treaty of Aigun?” This was a brilliant political move to finally state openly what many Chinese in both China and Taiwan have long been thinking about the lost territories in the Russian far east: The Russian far east should be “theirs.” Granted, Lai issued
On Tuesday, President William Lai (賴清德) met with a delegation from the Hoover Institution, a think tank based at Stanford University in California, to discuss strengthening US-Taiwan relations and enhancing peace and stability in the region. The delegation was led by James Ellis Jr, co-chair of the institution’s Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region project and former commander of the US Strategic Command. It also included former Australian minister for foreign affairs Marise Payne, influential US academics and other former policymakers. Think tank diplomacy is an important component of Taiwan’s efforts to maintain high-level dialogue with other nations with which it does
On Sept. 2, Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal called “The US and Taiwan Must Change Course” that defends his position that the US and Taiwan are not doing enough to deter the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from taking Taiwan. Colby is correct, of course: the US and Taiwan need to do a lot more or the PRC will invade Taiwan like Russia did against Ukraine. The US and Taiwan have failed to prepare properly to deter war. The blame must fall on politicians and policymakers