China Says: Pope, Stay Home
NewsMax.com
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2001
A visiting Vatican official’s suggestion to China’s Prime Minister Zhu Rongii that Pope John Paul II might want to make a papal visit to Communist China got a cold shoulder, according to Italian press reports.
When Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato reportedly mentioned the prospect of a papal visit during his visit to Beijing this week, the Chinese leader turned thumbs down on the idea, citing Beijing’s "offense" over the canonization of 130 Chinese martyrs. He also voiced his government’s displeasure with the Vatican’s diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
He nevertheless left the door open to future talks with the Vatican, saying that despite the "open wounds" he said were inflicted on China by the Holy See, "the dialogue is not considered closed," but it will be up to the Vatican to take the first steps toward resuming talks, according to the Italian daily Il Messaggero.
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