Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, recently addressed the ongoing negotiations for establishing a Vatican office in China, indicating that the Holy See is currently unwilling to meet the demands required for such a presence. Speaking to journalists in Rome on October 28, Archbishop Gallagher stated, “The idea is to have some type of cultural presence in Beijing. But, as with everything in a negotiation, there would be a price to pay and, for the moment, we are not willing to pay that price.”
These remarks garnered significant attention in Taiwanese and Hong Kong media, partly due to earlier reports by the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. That publication had cited the Vatican’s Secretariat of State's long-standing desire for a “permanent office” in China during the tenure of the late Pope Francis, noting that Beijing had proposed a precondition: the Vatican must first sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
While Archbishop Gallagher mentioned a “price to pay,” he did not explicitly define what those demands entailed. INFOVATICANA reported that the archbishop “did not wish to specify what the demands would be to reach such an understanding.” However, Chinese-language media outlets quickly interpreted the “price” as Beijing's demand to break ties with Taiwan. For instance, the Taiwanese news outlet ETtoday ran a headline asking, “Beijing Proposes ‘Severing Ties with Taiwan’ in Exchange for an Office? Vatican Foreign Minister: Not Prepared to Pay the Price for Now.” Hong Kong’s TVB also provided an in-depth report, headlining, “Vatican Foreign Minister: Sino-Vatican Bishop Agreement Flawed, Holy See Has No Intention of Setting Up Office in Beijing.” These interpretations highlight the sensitive nature of cross-strait relations in the context of Sino-Vatican dialogue.
Reuters, in its coverage, focused on Archbishop Gallagher's acknowledgment of imperfections within the provisional agreement between the Holy See and China. Gallagher was quoted saying, “It’s not easy, the dialogue is not easy. The imperfections of the agreement are evident, but there is a commitment to persevere in dialogue… and that is what will continue to happen.” The Holy See currently maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan and operates a study mission in Hong Kong, but lacks official diplomatic representation in the People's Republic of China.
The assertion that the “price” involves severing ties with Taiwan appears to be an interpretation by Chinese-language media, drawing from past Italian reporting that reflected the Chinese Communist Party-led government’s stated position. This raises questions about the Holy See's actual motivation for establishing an office in China, whether it is for diplomatic relations or a procedural step in negotiating the agreement on the appointment of bishops.
The Vatican's primary objective for a presence in Beijing is understood to be pastoral, specifically to facilitate the appointment of bishops and ensure good governance over the episcopal selection process. This effort should not be oversimplified as merely rejecting China's demand to break ties with Taiwan or indicating no intention of opening an office. The Holy See and the People’s Republic of China signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in 2018, which was renewed in 2024 for another four years, extending until 2028. Since its inception, this agreement has led to the Pope appointing several bishops in China, contributing to a rejuvenated Chinese Catholic episcopate.
However, the process by which China selects bishop candidates remains opaque, often described as a “black box.” Given the lack of true religious freedom in China, the Catholic Church there remains under the significant control of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department. An on-the-ground presence, such as a Papal delegate in Beijing, is considered necessary for the proper implementation of the Sino-Vatican agreement and for transparent vetting of episcopal candidates.
Some scholars believe that the issue of setting up an office is unlikely to be discussed in near-term negotiations, given the clear policy positions. However, others argue that establishing an “office” will almost certainly remain an active topic, as a direct presence is crucial for the effective implementation of the bishop appointment agreement. Beijing, it is argued, deliberately misinterprets the purpose of this “office” as a matter of diplomatic negotiation over cross-strait relations, thereby masking its true reluctance to loosen control over the Catholic Church’s religious freedom.
A senior Holy See diplomat, in an anecdotal account, revealed that approximately 90 percent of their daily work involves investigating bishop appointments, underscoring the core mission of a papal diplomat in vetting candidates for the episcopacy as part of pastoral care. Without an official delegate in China who can investigate freely and possess uncontrolled personal liberty, establishing a Holy See-Vatican office in Beijing risks becoming a “false proposition,” one that plays into the CCP’s diplomatic narrative of coercing the Holy See over its ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The distinction between a Papal Delegation and an Apostolic Nunciature is crucial in understanding the Vatican's intentions. As analyzed in the journal Issues & Studies by Yun Wang and the article's author, a Papal Delegation is an ecclesiastical office primarily engaging with the local church, while an Apostolic Nunciature implies diplomatic recognition and engagement with the local government. The office envisioned for Beijing is truly intended to be a Papal Delegation. Yet, the CCP cleverly conflates these two, countering the Holy See’s proposal for a Papal Delegation by asserting that an Apostolic Nunciature would require “first severing ties with Taipei.” This is viewed as a malicious interpretation designed to obscure China’s fundamental lack of religious freedom.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Catholicism’s arrival in Taiwan. Monsignor Stefano Mazzotti, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature to China (Taipei), has participated in multiple events commemorating this milestone. In one speech, he affirmed, “This year marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries in Taiwan to evangelize… Today, the Catholic Church has taken deep root and become an indispensable part of Taiwan’s diverse society. The Holy See will work hand in hand with the international community, including Taiwan, to continue to develop and consolidate the Church’s mission within the framework of ‘security and freedom,’”
Amid these shifting Sino-Vatican dynamics, Taiwan has no reason to be concerned, as it remains an “undeniably precious” presence in the eyes of the Holy See. It is strongly believed that Taiwan can and must be decoupled from the Sino-Vatican negotiation narrative, preventing both Taiwan and the Holy See from falling into the “narrative trap maliciously set by the Chinese Communist Party.”
