Vatican Thanks Mainland China, Ignores Taiwan?

By Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.


Breitbart, Crux—Both China and Taiwan have donated masks and medical supplies to the Vatican in recent days but while the Vatican thanked China publicly it has kept silent over Taiwan’s generosity.

As Breitbart News reported, on April 9 the Vatican issued a glowing public statement thanking the People’s Republic of China for donations of medical supplies to combat the spread of the coronavirus, calling the gesture a sign of China’s “solidarity” with the Holy See.

Yet as noted by Crux, an online Catholic news outlet, China was not alone in coming to the Vatican’s aid. Taiwan has offered similar donations of food and medical supplies to the Vatican and other church institutions in Italy, and yet no public thanks from the Vatican has been forthcoming.

On April 14, Taiwan’s Embassy to the Holy See released a statement announcing they had donated 280,000 medical masks to the Vatican, the Italian bishops, Italian hospitals and various religious institutes in Italy, Crux reported.

“It is a sign of closeness to Pope Francis and to the Italian people, but also a help to the Italian church, which is very committed in accompanying the sick and the most needy who suffer from the coronavirus,” said Taiwan’s Ambassador to the Holy See Matthew Lee.

“Taiwan is one of the few countries that has been successful in fighting this virus,” Mr. Lee said.

“This donation to the Vatican is a concrete sign of sharing the efficiency of the manufacture of Taiwanese masks and the experience gained in the field in recent years in the fight against viruses,” he said.

The Vatican’s silence concerning Taiwan’s donations stands in stark contrast to its vocal gratitude to China, which sends “a strong signal of where the Vatican’s interests lie,” Crux noted.

The Holy See is one of only 15 countries in the world to enjoy diplomatic relations with… read more>>

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