I
can't help but wonder how the recent re-election of Ma Ying-jeou in Taiwan will
affect the relationship between the Vatican, the PRC, and the ROC.
The
Boston Pilot, America’s oldest
Catholic newspaper, states that:
"In its asymmetrical struggle to protect the religious freedom of the more than 10 million Catholics in mainland China, one of the Vatican's few bargaining chips is its willingness to establish diplomatic ties with the Chinese government. The Vatican has long made it clear that it would grant recognition to China and downgrade its ties with the rival island nation of Taiwan, in return for guarantees of religious freedom, including the pope's ability to choose Chinese Catholic bishops without state interference."[1]
My
question is, what happens when the ROC and the PRC seem to be getting along? In
this type of scenario, is the Vatican going to lose its main bargaining chip?
Recent
events seem to indicate that it will not. In spite of Ma's efforts to improve
cross-strait relations, the relationship between the ROC and the Vatican
appears to be as strong as ever. At the end of 2011,
Cardinal
Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, signed a
higher education agreement with the Taiwanese government.[2]
Under the agreement, titles and degrees bestowed by Fu Jen University (the only
pontifical university in the PRC/ROC/HK area) will finally have local
recognition. This recognition extends beyond the community in Taiwan to more
than 150 other pontifical universities worldwide, giving Fu Jen University
additional funding opportunities. This could well put the university in the
position to become the top destination for theological discourse in East Asia.
Indeed,
there are some strong correlations between recent statements made by the Pope
and those made by President Ma in response to the world economic crisis. In his
recent "State of the World" address, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized
that the Church must focus on education. Mr. Wang Yu-Yuan, Ambassador to the
Holy See from Taiwan, says that the Pope sees young people as the "key to securing
a future of hope, despite a present gloom."[3]
President Ma, in his 2012 New Year address, agrees, saying that part of the
task of a democratic government is "to light candles in the minds of the
next generation, so that they shine their light"[4]
All
of this, however, raises questions about the viability of seeing Taiwan as the
Vatican's "bargaining chip." Even within the Vatican diplomatic
circles, there is considerable debate on the ethical implications of the Pope's
prior overture to China. Influential American Catholic George Weigel states
that "cutting ties with democratic Taiwan could pose 'grave questions'
about the church’s stance on human rights," a matter that continues to be
the subject of debate between Vatican hawks and doves.[5]
Furthermore-
and perhaps as proof of Weigel's concerns- as the Vatican's relationship with
Taiwan improves, its relationship with China appears to be deteriorating. Within the last year and a half, the Chinese
government has proven increasingly unwilling to allow the Vatican any say in
the consecration of new Catholic bishops. The issue came to a head in the
summer of 2011, when the Vatican excommunicated Father Joseph Huang Bingzhang,
a Chinese priest that the government had installed as bishop in Shantou,
Guangdong.[6]
The Chinese government's response was swift and derisive, proclaiming the Vatican’s actions to be “unreasonable
and rude.”[7]
This state of affairs has continued to decline since then. In fact, in January
of 2012, the Vatican released a statement, calling on the Chinese government to
explain the disappearances of three Vatican-approved bishops and six priests.
The government has denied any knowledge of the issue, leaving the international
Catholic blogs to run rampant with speculation.
So
is the Vatican going to lose its main bargaining chip? Well. It’s not a
question of losing a legitimate bargaining chip. Taiwan was, at one time, a
legitimate bargaining mechanism that could be effectively employed against the
Chinese government for political, religious, and even ethical concerns. But,
the value of any currency, including that of a bargaining chip, can change. The
fact is, the change of relationship between Taiwan and the Chinese government has
changed the value of that particular lucre that the Vatican had heretofore
employed with at least some success.
So,
what does that mean for the future? I can at least say, with some degree of
certainty, that the Vatican will have to rethink the efficacy of the Taiwan
chip. That is not to say that it cannot still be wielded in the future, but it
goes without saying that it no longer will bear the same weight as it has in
the past. Just as changes in economic prosperity can impact the value of currency
in world economics, so too can changes in political climate and relationships
change the value “chips” that constitute the currency of political and ethical
negotiation.
While
Taiwan’s ties with the Vatican will no doubt continue to strengthen, there will
be an indisputable impact on the Vatican’s ability to leverage that
relationship due to the rise of Taiwan’s strengthening ties with the PRC. Good or bad? Arguments can be made for both
points of view, but what’s important is to recognize that things are changing.
For the Vatican, that may require rethinking a tried but true tool that will no
longer perform in the same way that it has in the past.
