The Vatican yesterday announced that it has reached a historic accord with Beijing on the appointment of bishops in China, which has so far named its own officials to a sole Beijing-recognized Catholic church.
Beijing immediately said it hoped for better relations, while Taiwan said its ties with the Vatican were safe despite the deal.
The accord “has been agreed following a long process of careful negotiation and foresees the possibility of periodic reviews of its application,” the Vatican said in a statement issued as Pope Francis visits the Baltic states.
Photo: AFP
“It concerns the nomination of bishops, a question of great importance for the life of the church, and creates the conditions for greater collaboration at the bilateral level,” it added.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke downplayed any suggestion that the accord could have wider political implications.
The agreement “is not political, but pastoral, allowing the faithful to have bishops who are in communion with Rome, but at the same time recognized by Chinese authorities,” Burke said in Vilnius.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Beijing and the Vatican would push to improve bilateral ties after signing the agreement.
The deal was signed in Beijing by Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Chao (王超) and a Vatican delegation headed by Under-Secretary for Relations with States Antoine Camilleri, the ministry said in a brief statement.
The two sides “will continue to maintain communication and push forward the improvement of bilateral relations,” it said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that diplomacy is not a “zero-sum” game and cementing a long-lasting diplomatic relationship with the Vatican is Taiwan’s top priority.
“Taiwan-Vatican ties are stable because the two sides share the same values in democracy, human rights and religious freedom,” ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said.
“We believe that the Vatican must have held talks with China based on concern and respect for human rights and freedom of religion,” Lee said. “The most important thing for Taiwan is to continue maintaining a long-lasting and stable relationship with the Vatican.”
The Taiwanese ministry added that it hopes the deal would pave the way for religious freedoms in China, but said it also hopes that the Holy See would make sure Catholics in China “receive due protection and not be subject to repression.”
Jonathan Sullivan, director of China Programs at the University of Nottingham’s Asia Research Institute, said the accord was “a strategic move on China’s part and a naive one on the Vatican’s.”
The Chinese Communist Party “will frame the deal as the Vatican’s seal of approval to the state-run Catholic Church at a time when Christian believers are facing a severe crackdown on their beliefs and practices,” he said.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
‘FALLACY’: Xi’s assertions that Taiwan was given to the PRC after WWII confused right and wrong, and were contrary to the facts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) claim that China historically has sovereignty over Taiwan “deceptive” and “contrary to the facts.” In an article published on Wednesday in the Russian state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Xi said that this year not only marks 80 years since the end of World War II and the founding of the UN, but also “Taiwan’s restoration to China.” “A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration have affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan,” Xi wrote. “The historical and legal fact” of these documents, as well
RSS