Posted on 04/07/2005 12:51:39 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
In rare trip, Taiwan's president headed to Vatican
By Annie Huang, Associated Press | April 7, 2005
TAIPEI -- Taiwan's leader will make an unprecedented visit to the Vatican to attend Pope John Paul II's funeral, the government said yesterday, in a move that would likely irk rival China.
President Chen Shui-bian will attend the pope's funeral tomorrow, the Foreign Ministry said. It will be the first trip to Europe by a Taiwanese president, who rarely make foreign visits because of China's objections.
The Vatican is Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Europe.
But under pressure from Beijing, Italy had refused to issue visas to Taiwan's presidents in the past.
Michel Lu, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Chen will depart for Rome today. Italy issued Chen a visa and will accord him with protocols reserved for heads of state, Lu said.
''He will take a China Airlines charter flight to Rome . . . and will return to Taipei" after the funeral, he said.
Beijing is expected to lodge a strong protest against Chen's visit with Italy. China considers Taiwan a part of its own territory and has barred the island's leaders from taking part in international events.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Great News !
Well then, good for Berlusconi and Chen.
This is really going to anger the PRC.
Good.
I read that any reference to the Pope's death in Chinese papers has been relegated to a tiny paragraph at the bottom of an inside page.
Not even death can take away the Pope from the fight against communism, it seems.
They've been jailing a lot of Catholics lately, including a bishop that some have speculated was the Cardinal named in pectore. Should he be named, I think it would take the Mossad or something to deliver him to the Vatican.
But per treaty, Italy MUST allow passage to anyone with permission to visit the Vatican.
That's why Robert Mugabe is also going to Rome.
As I recall, the vast majority of cardinals are JPG-appointees, so it would be more correct to say that THEY are Pope John Paul's message.
Ironically, I remember Castro met Annette Lu (the radical pro-Taiwan independence Vice-President of Taiwan - many say she is like an Asian version of Hillary Clinton in ideology and outlook apart from TI) and I saw photos of them shaking hands (Fidel in suits) published on the official Taiwanese GIO newspapers which my Dad subscribes.
In a delicious twist, Castro affirmed that he opposes the mainland to retake Taiwan by force. Given that Hu Jiantao fawns over Cuba (from Chinese-language papers he was touted as saying "It would be better if we remain dedicated socialists at heart, learning from Cuba and North Korea. The economic reform and opening up has produced a trojan horse inside us!") you can imagine my laughter when I read that Taiwanese news article.
I doubt the Chinese would be so dense as to keep a head of state (a state that they recognize, even) imprisioned.
The PRC recognizes the Vatican?
That is hilarious. It is really twisted up.:)
Naming Cardinals in some cultures is tantamount to signing a death warrant...many speculate that the one Cardinal who was "named in the heart" by JPII is from PRC, N Korea, Cuba or an arabic country. All but three of the voting Cardinals were named by JPII.
Genuine human sympathy, extremely rare from Castro, occasioned by the geopolitical parallelism (island nation threatened by colossal nearby mainland superpower).
Nice post. Let the ChiComs kick and scream all they want; I hope a couple world leaders take the opportunity to run into Chen "by accident" when they wouldn't normally get to talk to him.
I wouldn't take China Air if I were him.
China Airlines is a Taiwan's main carrier.
That would be like saying that Taiwan is the real China (ok, you got me)
Love it!
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