The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that Taiwan-Holy See ties remained strong, amid reports that Taiwan’s relations with its only diplomatic ally in Europe are at risk because relations between China and the Vatican are showing signs of warming up again.
Taiwan enjoys solid and stable relations with the Holy See and expects continued cooperation with the city state, ministry spokesman James Chang (章計平) said in response to questions regarding improving China-Vatican City ties.
APPROVED
Three bishops have been installed in China in the last three weeks with the approval of the government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Vatican, the Financial Times of London reported on Sunday.
It also said that as many as 20 bishops could be ordained over the coming months, provided both sides agreed.
As Pope Benedict XVI has listed establishing diplomatic relations with China as one of his priorities, the recent assignments signaled significant progress in bilateral relations and could mean that Taiwan’s ties with the Holy See are in jeopardy, the Chinese-language Want Daily wrote.
“Religious freedom in China has always been one of Vatican’s biggest concerns and we understand the Holy See’s concerns about the 10 million Catholics in China,” Chang said.
“However, the Vatican and Taiwan share the same values and enjoy a longstanding friendship,” he said.
SOLID
“We expect continued exchanges and development cooperation in future on the basis of solid relations,” Chang said.
He said there have been extensive exchanges between Taiwan and the Holy See over the years, including visits by five Cardinal Bishops and more than 60 archbishops to Taiwan and a visit by Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to the Holy See last year.
Senior diplomatic officials from China and Vatican City have been meeting two or three times a year in ongoing efforts to re-establish diplomatic relations.
The last summit was held in Rome in February and the next one is expected in Beijing this summer, the Financial Times reported.
UNDERGROUND
It will be a complicated matter for the Holy See to establish diplomatic relations with China, however, because Beijing still does not recognize the large number of so-called “underground Catholic churches” in the country, said James Lee (李光章), deputy director-general of the ministry’s Department of European Affairs.
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