Taiwan-Vatican relations remain firm and stable, Taiwanese Ambassador to the Holy See Tu Chou-shen (杜筑生) said yesterday in Taipei, stressing that many issues remain before the Vatican would be willing to normalize relations with Beijing.
“I cannot say the Vatican will never forge formal ties with China,” he said. “But such relations will not happen until Beijing commits to respecting basic human rights and the public’s freedom to worship.”
Tu made the remarks at a reception held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday for 11 ambassadors and representatives who returned to Taipei to report on their diplomatic work abroad.
Tu said a lot of foreign media had predicted an imminent severance between Taipei and the Holy See in early May when a Chinese philharmonic orchestra performed in the Vatican auditorium for Pope Benedict at his 81st birthday celebration. The rumors intensified later that month when the Vatican did not follow its usual protocol by promptly publicizing the name of the new papal nuncio to Taiwan.
Taiwan established relations with the Holy See in 1942 and it remains Taiwan’s only European ally.
Tu said that Beijing had been pushing for diplomatic ties with the Vatican for the last six decades, but had failed consistently because it refused to compromise on demands the Vatican cut ties with Taiwan, nor would it promise not to interfere with China’s internal affairs, including freedom of worship.
The possibility of official Vatican-China relations was further dimmed in 2006 when China ignored Catholic Church procedure by appointing its own bishops, Tu said.
“Any members of the Catholic church can attest to the fact that bishops must be named under papal authority. No governments or any other organizations have the right to appoint their own bishops,” Tu said.
Last November, a Vatican delegation visited Beijing and hinted at the possibility of moving its embassy from Taiwan to Beijing.
The Vatican diplomatic mission in Taiwan has repeatedly assured the country that the pope would never abandon Taiwanese in spite of warming relations between the Holy See and Beijing.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS