Despite shaky ties, China’s Catholics cheer on pope’s S. Korea visit

As reported by 'The Japan News' : Despite shaky ties, China’s Catholics cheer on pope’s S. Korea visit 8:47 pm, August 16, 2014 The Associated Press Pope Francis’ vehicle passes a crowd prior to a Mass at Gwanghwamun square in central Seoul on Saturday. (The Japan News)

The Associated Press BEIJING (AP)—Chinese Catholics on Friday cheered Pope Francis’ visit to neighboring South Korea, saying they hoped his trip to their region would help end the estrangement between Beijing and the Vatican. But in a sign that the decades-long China-Vatican drama still has its glitches, the Vatican acknowledged that a telegram of greetings sent by Francis to the Chinese leadership apparently never arrived. The Vatican sent the telegram from Francis’ chartered Alitalia plane as it entered Chinese airspace early Thursday, following Vatican protocol that calls for the pope to send such greetings whenever he flies over a foreign country. Such telegrams usually go unnoticed. But the gesture took on unique significance because the Vatican and China have no diplomatic relations—and therefore no official contacts—and because Beijing had refused to let St. John Paul II fly through its airspace when he visited South Korea in 1989. But the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Friday it appeared the telegram never arrived. China’s embassy to Italy asked the Holy See for a copy of the telegram, saying it hadn’t received it. A copy was immediately provided to the embassy, he said. “It happens that maybe when you send a telegram by a flying plane there are some problems in receiving it,” Lombardi said, adding that he understood the telegram is actually sent by the pilot to the air traffic control tower, which then is responsible for relaying it onto the correct destination. “But in any case, the telegram has arrived now. It surely has arrived.” Despite the glitch, China’s Foreign Ministry responded to reports of the telegram with a statement Thursday saying it remained committed to establishing a “constructive dialogue” and improving ties. However, China’s entirely state-run media imposed a virtual news blackout on the visit, ensuring the public at large would know little about Francis’ activities. In another sign of Beijing’s continuing ambivalence toward relations with the Holy See, reports said officials were preventing some Chinese Catholics and clergy from taking part in the activities in South Korea under threat of reprisals. On Friday, Catholic laypeople and priests who flocked to a Mass at Beijing’s oldest church said they felt closer to the pope. All expressed hopes for a papal visit in the not-too-distant future. “I believe this is a step forward in advancing communication,” said the Rev. Mathew Zhen Xuebin, secretary general of the Beijing diocese. “We have hope that one day the two countries of China and the Vatican will establish diplomatic ties and that the pope will be able to visit China.”