Hong Kong (AsiaNews/SCMP) – Mgr Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop of Hong Kong, does not believe the Vatican ought to break ties with Taiwan before talks with Beijing begin on normalising Sino-Vatican relations.
“It is unreasonable to request the Vatican to first estrange from Taiwan before starting the negotiations,” the Bishop said.
Read the complete article Beijing should open talks with the Vatican before asking it to cut ties with Taiwan, says Bishop Zen from AsiaNews.it.
The Bishop of Hong Kong has a pragmatism that is refreshing, especially in light of Cardinal Sodano's pandering.
Still, the head of Hong Kong's Catholic Church was upbeat on the progress of relations.
“There are some hurdles that may need to be overcome," he noted, “especially after the death of the late Pope John Paul and the election of the new Pope Benedict,” but according to him it was obvious that opportunities for the Catholic Church on the mainland were arising.
I'm not sure what the death of John Paul II has to do with it. Since Benedict was elected, the Holy See seems to be hell-bent on severing ties with Taiwan and joining hands with the People's Republic. The pandering:
The Vatican Secretary of State Card Angelo Sodano said last week that the Holy See was ready to return to its nunciature in Beijing and break its ties with Taiwan, provided the central government respected religious freedom.
“When other states ended their relations with Taiwan they moved immediately to Beijing. Why can't the Holy See, if it ends its contacts with Taiwan, go immediately to Beijing?” he asked.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan responded by reiterating China’s view that the Holy See must sever ties with Taiwan.
This last quote illustrates perfectly what the Holy See is getting into with its new relationship with the PRC. The Holy See is ready to cut off relations with Taiwan at the drop of a hat. But the Foreign Ministry of the People's Republic 'reiterated' that the Holy See must sever ties with Taiwan.
The Holy See is ready to do it. They're ready to move the shop to Beijing tomorrow and the PRC is still 'reiterating' and complaining. The People's Republic is not going to be appeased, people! They're not! As soon as the nunciature is set up in Beijing, I bet you a dollar that the nuncio is going to hear it about 'internal affairs' and 'Catholic interference'. It will go on and on and never end and all the while, the Chicoms will get the PR benefit of having orchestrated one more de-recognition of Taiwan in favor of itself.
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