Question:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060403/wl_af...on_060403041638
BEIJING (AFP) - China and the Vatican have held talks on establishing diplomatic ties but a breakthrough remains dependent on the Holy See agreeing to two demands, according to Beijing's religious affairs chief.
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Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Administraton of Religious Affairs, told the China Daily that the Vatican must first sever links with Taiwan and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs.
We can establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican very soon if the two principles are accepted, Ye was quoted as saying.
But it is very hard for us to do so if the two principles are violated.
Ye said no schedule had been set for the restoration of ties, which have been severed since 1951.
The contact between us has been continuing all along but it is hard to set a timetable, he was quoted as saying.
Ye's comments followed those from the Vatican's foreign minister, Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, in which he said recently that the time was ripe for a normalization of Sino-Vatican relations.
Newly elevated Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen also reiterated last week that the Vatican was prepared to switch recognition from Taiwan to China if Beijing could give assurances that religious freedoms would be respected.
China and Taiwan split at the end of a civil war in 1949 and the mainland regards the island as part of its territory that must eventually be reunified.
Experts say the biggest obstacle remains Beijing's refusal to recognize the supreme authority of the pope over the appointment of his own bishops.
The government-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association appoints its own bishops.
Ye said China must continue to appoint its own bishops but said the issue may be open to consultation, the China Daily said. He did not elaborate.
Hopes that the two sides could end their 55-year impasse were raised with the installation one year ago of Pope Benedict XVI, who has indicated he would like to visit China soon.
Zen said last week low-level contact between China and the Vatican had increased since the death of the pope's predecessor, John Paul II.
China's official church has about four million worshippers, according to government figures, while the underground church loyal to Rome has about 10 million based on Vatican estimates.
China, Vatican may have ties by Olympics: cardinal
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060403/sp_nm/...na_vatican_dc_1
HONG KONG (Reuters) - China and the Vatican could re-establish diplomatic relations by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most senior Roman Catholic clergyman in the country, said on Monday.
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Ties were cut in 1951 and the Vatican has formal relations with Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing considers a breakaway province.
But momentum has been building in recent years for the Vatican to make the switch from Taiwan to China. As a precondition, Beijing insists that the Holy See sever diplomatic links with Taiwan and refrain from meddling in China's internal affairs.
China and the Vatican could have diplomatic relations as early as the Olympic Games, Zen said told Reuters. I think it's a very reasonable target. The process may be long and it may be short. It depends on how they (China's leaders) open their way of seeing things.
Zen, who does not play a formal role in the talks with Beijing but has taken an active interest in Sino-Vatican affairs, has said the Vatican was prepared to make such a move.
A sticking point has been that Beijing refuses to allow the Vatican to name Chinese bishops unilaterally, which is the usual procedure. Zen said the Pope could give some ground on the issue.
The Pope can make concessions without giving the whole authority to them (the Chinese authorities). Surely he can listen to their opinion, he said.
Maybe ... the Holy Father presents a list of names to them and they may veto some of those names, or give their preference.
Zen, formerly a Hong Kong bishop who criticized the lack of religious freedom in China, said at the time of his elevation to cardinal he hoped it would help ease ties between the Vatican and Beijing. Hong Kong has had wide-ranging autonomy since returning from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
China refuses to allow Catholics to recognize the authority of the Pope, saying this would interfere in its internal affairs.
The Vatican estimates it has about 8 million followers in China who worship at underground churches, while the official church has 5 million followers.
Answer:
Experts say the biggest obstacle remains Beijing's refusal to recognize the supreme authority of the pope over the appointment of his own bishops.
Nothing new there... typical of the imperial mindset.
