Vatican’s Siren This Time Is Not “Crying Wolf”

  Vatican’s Siren This Time Is Not “Crying Wolf”

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

February 6, 2018

 Translation of an Excerpt

Western media cited the version of high-level Vatican officials, saying that the Mainland and the Vatican had reached a consensus on the issue of the Mainland's bishop appointments, which had been in dispute for many years, and that a framework agreement was expected to be signed in the next few months. According to the agreement, the seven bishops appointed by the PRC government would be granted amnesty by the Pope, becoming legitimate bishops recognized by both the Mainland and the Vatican, while the bishops originally ordained or appointed by the Holy See would abdicate or serve as auxiliary bishops.

Current Pope Francis has apparently decided to abandon the non-recognition tactics the Vatican has followed for six decades, for the benefit of the vast number of Mainland faithful, he hopes to allow the church that has been divided in China for many years to “become one.” Why the matter has developed to this extent is something worth exploring; the rise of China, of course, is important background, and the Tsai Ing-wen government's cross-Strait policies, we are afraid, have been a helping hand.

Today Mainland-Vatican relations are rapidly moving forward; it apparently has a considerable correlation with the miscalculations in the Tsai government’s cross-Strait policies. Although President Tsai has claimed that she would "maintain the status quo," pretending on the surface business as usual, but in reality extracting the "1992 Consensus," the foundation for maintaining the cross-Strait status quo, draining further goodwill, thus in one year the ROC has lost two diplomatic partners, São Tomé e Principe and Panama. Let us ask, once the Vatican has established diplomatic relations with Beijing, how would we maintain the "status quo" with the rest of the countries in Latin America?

The siren sounded by the Vatican this time is no longer a false alarm such as "crying wolf," but veritable clubbing on the head, so to speak. When Tsai Ing-wen talks loquaciously, saying "Don’t look down on the President’s will," the public cannot see her strong suit in foreign affairs.

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