The foreign ministry says it is aware of Pope Francis’ telegram to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The pope arrived in South Korea on Thursday on the first papal visit to the Asian country in 25 years. When the Pope’s flight flew through Chinese airspace, he sent a telegram of greetings and prayers to the Chinese president.
The telegram raised a few eyebrows because the Holy See and China do not have formal diplomatic relations. In 1989 Beijing refused to allow Pope John Paul II’s flight to fly through its airspace. There have been rumors that the Holy See wants to cut off its diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognize China instead. The Holy See is one of Taiwan’s 22 diplomatic allies. Beijing forbids its allies from recognizing Taiwan.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Kao said it is Vatican protocol to send telegrams to the heads of state whenever the Pope flies through their countries' airspace. She also stressed that relations between Taiwan and the Holy See remain stable and strong.