Much could change with the death of Pope John Paul II. No successor is likely to govern the church or become a spiritual symbol in the same way. But there is one commitment of John Paul II's that should stand: Vatican recognition of Taiwan.
Sole recognition of Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), essentially followed the communist government's expulsion of the Papal Nuncio, or Vatican representative, in 1951.
Since then all but 25 nations have dropped Taiwan for the People's Republic of China (PRC), which demands exclusive relations. In Europe only the Holy See recognizes Taiwan.
But after Pope John Paul II's death, Bishop Joseph Zen (陳日君), head of Hong Kong's Catholic Church, opined that the Vatican was "ready to renounce diplomatic ties with Taiwan."
PRC foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (
Taipei professes to be unconcerned and President Chen Shui-bian (
In fact, Pope John Paul II sought to improve relations between the Catholic Church and China in order to expand freedom to worship in the PRC. In 2001 he declared: "the normalization of relations between the PRC and the Holy See would undoubtedly have positive repercussions for humanity's progress."
But Beijing remains hostile to Catholics. An official paper from the PRC's State Council denounces past "domination," "aggression," "colonialism" and "imperialism" as practiced by Protestants as well as Catholics.
But China is particularly antagonistic to the Catholic Church, a truly transnational organization. The PRC complained, "After the founding of New China in 1949 the Vatican issued papal encyclicals several times instigating hatred against the new people's political power among the converts."
Nevertheless, the PRC might use the Pope's death as an opportunity to make a deal. Give us recognition and we will relax our religious restrictions a bit.
It would be a bad bargain.
In most cases diplomatic relations with the Holy See matter little. But here change in recognition would have enormous symbolic consequences.
Over the last half century Taiwanese have created an independent nation. More important, they have created a democratic state and market economy. What sane Taiwan resident would want to submit to rule by the PRC?
Vatican recognition offers symbolic sanction. The PRC doesn't deserve that kind of approval until it genuinely respects religious liberty.
Moreover, by recognizing Taiwan, the Holy See is offering important support for 23 million people who don't want to be forcibly absorbed by China. Taiwan represents the poor and downtrodden whom John Paul II so eloquently championed.
The Vatican's spiritual obligations are far more important than its political duties. But its latter role matters in this case by implicitly acknowledging the right of the Taiwanese people to live free from threats by China. That should not change irrespective of who becomes the next Pope.
Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and a member of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy.?
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