Jun 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm
During a luncheon Tuesday at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong, Bishop Joseph Zen told reporters that the Vatican's policy on China has not changed under Pope Benedict XVI and that the Vatican desires to make every effort in order to normalize relations with Beijing.
A major sticking point in the establishment of relations has been the appointment of Catholic bishops. The Vatican has the sole right to do this; however, as it has with the government of Cuba, Bishop Zen suggested that the Vatican might want to compromise on the issue, "not to surrender completely, but to make some compromise so that the Beijing government may also have some say in that appointment of bishops".
China also demands the Vatican severe relations with Taiwan and refrain from "interfering" in China's internal affairs – for instance, agitating for religious freedom - before relations can be restored. Bishop Zen conceded that a switch to relations with Beijing would come at the expense of Taipei, with which the Vatican currently has diplomatic relations.
"The Holy See is ready to switch diplomatic relations with Taiwan to Beijing. Until now the Holy See never unilaterally abandoned any friend," he said. "So this time, it may be forced to make a painful decision, because otherwise the China authority would not accept dialogue with the Holy See”. But, the bishop cautioned, the Vatican should only accept normalization if Beijing will guarantee genuine religious freedom. "The Vatican should be sure that the Beijing government is going to grant a real religious freedom. It's unfair to switch diplomatic relations and to start negotiations later. Nobody works that way," he added.