The irony underlying Pope John Paul's apology to China is simply too great. It is depressing that the head of one of the world's oldest and largest religious institutions and a personification of peace, love, sacrifice and the goodness of humanity appears to be kowtowing to a regime such as the PRC.
This is true even though the apology is confined to conduct of Catholic missionaries in China during the imperial era. People are reading a lot more than just a historical correction into this latest move by the Vatican.
China's media are already widely interpreting the apology as covering the pontiff's canonization last year of 120 martyrs killed between 1648 and 1930 in China for their faith. Beijing had angrily protested the canonizations, alleging that most of those 120 individuals were traitors during the colonial invasion of China in the Opium War and the Boxer Uprising. The fact that the canonization ceremony was conducted on Oct. 1, the PRC's national day, was taken as an added insult.
This interpretation has two very negative implications. First, it seriously undermines the credibility and authority of the Vatican, not to mention insulting the memory of those who were canonized. Secondly, it fans a Chinese nationalism that is already growing increasingly radical. While imperial China was certainly a victim of Western imperialism, the Communist regime has been using this painful era to incite a radical nationalism in order to safeguard its hold on power and justify China's rapid military expansion.
The papal apology is also being interpreted as a precursor to the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Beijing. If that is the case, Taiwan will lose its last foothold in Europe -- since Beijing is demanding the Vatican first cut its diplomatic ties with Taiwan and acknowledge the "one China" principle before the establishment of formal ties between itself and the papal state.
If the Vatican does forsake Taipei for Beijing's friendship, it would be recognizing a government notorious for gross human rights violations, including forced abortions and restricting people's freedom to practice Catholicism or any other religion outside of the state-sanctioned venues.
Beijing only recognizes the Catholic Patriotic Church in China, a church that swears loyalty to the Communist Party of China and has its bishops appointed by the Communist regime. The government has repeatedly arrested and persecuted Catholic missionaries and ordinary believers of the underground church that continues to recognize the Pope. How would the Vatican face these individuals once it recognizes the Beijing regime? How would it face its followers in Taiwan?
In addition, the Vatican faces another hurdle in establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing. It would have to give up its right to nominate its own bishops in the PRC. There is no way Beijing will budge on this issue since the Communist Party believes that it should be the supreme ruler of the country. It is unlikely to give any organized religion the opportunity to challenge its authority. Therefore, it will only accept institutions willing to succumb to its control, such as by accepting its appointment of bishops in the case of the Catholic Church. This explains the government's crackdown on the Falun Gong.
Should the Vatican ever decide to establish diplomatic ties with the PRC, its motivation must be based on some very noble intention, such as helping the Chinese people obtain their religious freedom, among other human rights. However, China has already warned the Vatican that it should not "interfere with the internal affairs of China under the pretext of religion."
Under these circumstances, the bad certainly outweighs any good -- by a large measure -- in any attempt by the Vatican to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.
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