Cardinal keen to smooth path if Vatican decides to cut ties with island
Hong Kong Catholic leader Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is to propose to the Vatican that it convey a 'message of regret' to pacify Taiwan when the Holy See decides to cut ties with the island in exchange for diplomatic relations with Beijing.
The proposal came as a senior Beijing official was quoted as saying that Taiwan would not be a stumbling block in the renewal of formal relations because the mainland is more concerned with how bishops are appointed in China.
A church source said Cardinal Zen, who wanted to take an active role in bridging the Sino-Vatican divide, was to propose that the Holy See should offer a public message to Taiwan when it decides to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
'His idea is that a senior Vatican official should publicly make a formal statement conveying the Holy See's regret in switching diplomatic relations to Beijing. This will pacify both the government in Taipei and Catholics in Taiwan,' the source said.
It is understood bishops and members of the faithful in Taiwan have already accepted the inevitability of an imminent change and they will be satisfied if the Holy See keeps some sort of informal links to the church in Taiwan.
Allen Lee Peng-fei, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress, revealed yesterday that a senior mainland official 'at the state level', who he declined to name, told him before the NPC session last month that the mainland was sincere in rebuilding diplomatic ties with the Vatican.
