The Holy See attaches importance to its relations with Taiwan and an agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops merely shows Pope Francis’ efforts to improve religious freedom there, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said on Friday.
Chen made the remarks at Taiwan’s embassy in the Vatican City after arriving as the special envoy of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for the canonization today of British cardinal John Henry Newman and four others.
Chen said that the Holy See, Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Europe, attaches great importance to its relations with Taiwan, as evident in the designation in August of Arnaldo Catalan, who shares a close bond with the pope, as the new head of the apostolic nunciature to Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Addressing concerns that the provisional Vatican-China agreement inked in September last year would lead to the Holy See switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, Chen said the agreement is aimed at integrating the Chinese Catholic Church into the global Catholic community, rather than dealing with any political or diplomatic issues.
“I firmly believe that the provisional agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops will help harmonize the Universal Church and the Catholic Church in China,” he said.
The agreement has helped improve religious freedom in China, he added.
China ordained two bishops in August and the appointments were approved by the pontiff, affirming the pope’s leadership over the Catholic Church in China, Chen said.
Chen, a Catholic himself, said that the pope included the Catholic Church in China just as the good shepherd did when he left 99 sheep to go after the one lost sheep until he found it, referring to Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep in the Bible.
“We pray that this represents a first step toward religious freedom in China,” the vice president added.
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