Posted on 03/19/2013 11:38:06 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
VATICAN CITY: President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan met with Pope Francis in St Peter's Basilica on Tuesday in a first taste for the new pontiff of a long-running dispute that pits the island against its giant neighbour China.
China has called on the Vatican to cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Sunday saying the Vatican should "recognise the Chinese government as the sole legal representative of all China."
The Holy See is one of only 23 states in the world that recognise Taipei instead of Beijing.
Hua also said China hoped Francis would "take concrete steps to create conditions for the improvement of China-Vatican relations."
The last time a Taiwanese leader visited the Vatican was in 2005, when then president Chen Shui-bian attended the funeral of John Paul II.
An incensed Beijing at the time refused to send a representative and filed a protest to Italy for issuing Chen a visa.
This time around, Li Xiaoyong, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Rome, told AFP: "There will be no delegation from China. China has expressed its congratulations.
"We hope that with the guidance of the new pontiff, the Vatican side can take a step towards us for a dialogue with mutual respect," he said.
Bernardo Cervellera, director of AsiaNews in Rome, a Catholic news agency specialising in Asian affairs, said: "The Vatican cannot block Taiwan from coming. It is a public ceremony."
He said the Chinese reaction was "like a broken record -- it masks the fact that they do not really know what to do."
"They are stuck in their own succession," he said, referring to the nomination last week of new President Xi Jinping.
(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...
Excellent.
Taiwan is a little too big for its britches, but Red China is too.
Prayers up for the opening for the cause of cannonization for Ignatius Cardinal Kung Pin Mei.
He is truly a saint and that move would send a big message to China.
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