Yes.
Stating the obvious: No.[/quote]
BBC World news has a post that Pres Chen is going… and when he’s also elected Pope that will really piss off the commies across the strait.
[quote=“Satellite TV”]and when he’s also elected Pope that will really piss off the commies across the strait.[/quote]Oh damn, I didn’t realize that EU rules about equal hiring opportunities had gone quite that far. If I’d known the job was open to non-Catholics I would have applied myself… 
Is it not wrong for him to go solely for political gains? He should only go if he is going to truely mourn the pope’s death.
Understand from the Italians tht actually there never was a real question on the transit visa for CSB. Apparently there is a long standing agreement between Italy and the Vatican in a sense that they have to allow anybody that wants to visit the vatican to pass through their country, i.e. roma Airport. Just thinking since he is there, why not going to attend the Rottweiler’s wedding over in the UK.
what bollocks…he’s going as a head of state; by definition it’s a political or at least diplomatic visit. the guys not catholic and has never met the pope…why the fuck would or could he “truly mourn” him?
As if the rest of the great and good give a Eucharist about the Pope’s death. Half of them will be checking their watches and wondering what time the vol-au-vents arrive.
As if the rest of the great and good give a Eucharist about the Pope’s death. Half of them will be checking their watches and wondering what time the vol-au-vents arrive.[/quote]
They’re having vol-au-vents? Damn, I didn’t know that. I’m so THERE! I wonder if we’ll get the ones with creamy mushroom filling.
Someone posted that CSB would not be attending JPII’s funeral. This story says he will be there.
[quote]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.b[/b]
Boston.com
[/quote]
This is great news for Taiwan, and Three Cheers to Italy for not buckling to pressure from China. I suppose at the moment either the Vatican has a lot of sway over Italy or Italy does not want play petty politics with China at this point in time. It really would be an inappropriate time for China to threaten Italy.
What pressure was this, exactly, to which Italy did not buckle?
What pressure was this, exactly, to which Italy did not buckle?[/quote]
HK’s Jade TV news (and I guess other channels) has shown a couple of mainland officials bitching about the visit. They said that Italy shouldn’t have issued the visa and that CSB wasn’t going for the funeral, but instead to pohuai yige zhongguo… or something like that. It seems that Beijing probably has put pressure on the Italians to deny CSB a visa.
This is, perhaps the most interesting diplomatic news Taiwan has had for a very long time. Let’s all sit back and see how petulant the PRC becomes over this.
Actually as I hear it the agreement only extends to those invited by the Vatican.
Whatever this means to TI in practice (very little), I’m sure it means a lot to the collective TI psyche. It probably means even more to CSB’s vanity more than anything he is supposed to represent. Too bad though that he is going to essentially a funeral. As much as he wants to jump around all happy while there, he has to make like sad and pained. 
Sour grapes.
A major diplomatic victory for CSB and Taiwan … but if the Vatican does decide to switch recognition from Taiwan to China, that would be an even more serious diplomatic blow to Taiwan. I personally don’t see why they would do that … Beijing does not allow freedom of religion, refuses to acknowledge the Pope’s authority, and unlike Taiwan’s other “diplomatic allies,” the Holy See isn’t in it for the money. Their is no benefit for the Holy See to switch recognition to China unless Beijing radically changes its policies towards Catholics in China (i.e. letting the Pope select bishops, ending persecution of Catholics, etc.) Would they be willing to do that in exchange for diplomatic relations with the Vatican?
Isn’t it ironic that CSB goes to the Vatican on a China Airliner?
And I don’t think that the Vatican is going to switch to China and cut its tie to Taiwan that would be a real silly thing to do.
China is not sending an envoy to the funeral in protest of CSB’s visit. The Chinese-languagte press has said several times in the last few days that China has pressured Italy in the past not to issue a visa to Chen, so I think there’s a pretty good chance that it did try to stop this.
CSB’s delegation includes the head of Taipei’s mosque and several priests based in Taiwan.
[quote=“Feiren”]China is not sending an envoy to the funeral in protest of CSB’s visit. The Chinese-languagte press has said several times in the last few days that China has pressured Italy in the past not to issue a visa to Chen, so I think there’s a pretty good chance that it did try to stop this.
CSB’s delegation includes the head of Taipei’s mosque and several priests based in Taiwan.[/quote]
No, you mixed two things up. The dissastifaction is directed at Italy. The not sending the envoy to the Vatican is to avoid having “two Chinas.” Different.
[quote=“zeugmite”][quote=“Feiren”]China is not sending an envoy to the funeral in protest of CSB’s visit. The Chinese-languagte press has said several times in the last few days that China has pressured Italy in the past not to issue a visa to Chen, so I think there’s a pretty good chance that it did try to stop this.
CSB’s delegation includes the head of Taipei’s mosque and several priests based in Taiwan.[/quote]
No, you mixed two things up. The dissastifaction is directed at Italy. The not sending the envoy to the Vatican is to avoid having “two Chinas.” Different.[/quote]
Oh, so they’re content to let CSB go to the funeral on behalf of all Chinese?