Vatican, China hold talks to renew ties

The Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese government are actively exploring the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, with contacts betw...

The Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese government are actively exploring the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, with contacts between the sides warming to the point that the ailing John Paul II quietly received a quasi-official Chinese delegation in the Vatican late last year.

In a half-dozen meetings in Rome and Beijing, starting in early 2004, both sides have indicated an increased willingness to yield on differences that have long divided China and the Vatican, which severed ties in 1951, people present at some of the discussions said.

China has indicated that it may allow the Vatican to nominate bishops for the Catholic Church in China. The Vatican has shown a willingness to sever longstanding diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province.

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In re-establishing ties with the Vatican, China would strengthen its prestige as a world power, and aid its claim, in regard to Taiwan.

So far, the meetings have been unofficial. Top officials have not yet met face-to-face The exchanges have brought together leaders of the Community of Sant’Egidio, an international Catholic-aid group with close ties to the Vatican, and officials from Chinese government policy-research groups and the Chinese Communist Party School, the power base of President Hu Jintao.