Taiwan Considers Relations With Vatican Under New Papacy

TaiwanPlus News

For Taiwan, the election of a new pope affects more than the country's 300,000 Catholics. The Vatican is one of just a handful of countries worldwide that have diplomatic ties with Taipei, and the only one in Europe.

Transcript

00:00Taiwan's 300,000 Catholics are joining the hundreds of millions of Catholics

00:04around the world celebrating their new Pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.

00:11And Taiwan's leader, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-de has joined other world leaders

00:15in congratulating the world's first American Pope.

00:18But Taiwan has another reason to be looking at this change of leadership in the Catholic Church.

00:23The Vatican is one of just 12 countries around the world that has official diplomatic ties

00:28with Taiwan that recognizes Taiwan as a country.

00:32Here at the Bishop's Conference in Taipei,

00:35the local leaders of the Catholic Church are giving some insights

00:38on how that important relationship might now develop.

00:41I believe that the people of the people of Taiwan in Taiwan

00:48are very happy that this pastor wants more to know Taiwan,

00:54and you want to, through the Church of the Church,

00:59with the people of the people of the Church,

01:00have more contact with them.

01:02Taiwan's diplomatic allies face pressure from China,

01:05which claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory to switch ties from Taipei to Beijing.

01:12Taiwan's ambassador to the Vatican recently told the Central News Agency

01:16that when he was a Cardinal, the new Pope differentiated between China and Taiwan.

01:22People here in Taiwan will now be hoping that he holds that distinction

01:25now that he's taking office as Pope.

01:28Patrick Chen and Rick Glowatt in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Recommended