Cardinal and Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said the Vatican wants to establish a permanent office in China. The Foreign Ministry responded Wednesday, saying that Taiwan-Vatican relations have always been strong, and while they support promoting religious freedom, they are watching China-Vatican interactions carefully.
A Vatican-hosted symposium held on May 20 and May 21 at two universities invited Shanghai Bishop Joseph Shen Bin, among others, to discuss the history and present of the catholic church in China. The conference was memorable for two reasons, one being held on the 100 anniversary of the First Plenary Council in China in Shanghai. The second, being the attendance of the Chinese state-appointed Bishop Bin, who was appointed without Vatican consultation– a violation of a 2018 accord on the subject.
The Foreign Ministry pointed to this contradiction, mentioning that China has repeatedly violated the 2018 agreement, as well as clamped down on religious freedoms. Taiwan understands that the Vatican wishes to send a representative to China for the promotion of those same freedoms. However, they would call on all countries to urge China to stop infringing on religious freedoms and the human rights of its citizens.
The Vatican remains one of Taiwan’s few diplomatic allies, with an emissary of the Church, Archbishop Charles John Brown, attending the recent inauguration with the Pope’s blessing. The Vatican has also favorably received Taiwanese guests as recently as May 17. The Foreign Ministry emphasized that it will continue to work with the Holy See and Catholic Church for humanitarian efforts, and the promotion of concrete contributions to global religious freedom.