For the celebration of anniversary of the Tzu Chi Foundation and of Buddhist humanitarian charity, Cardinal Peter Turkson arrived in Taiwan this week. Reuters reported the visit on May 11, describing it as a rare trip at a time when the Holy See is working to improve its ties with China. Turkson’s presence in Taipei places the Vatican at the center of a delicate diplomatic balancing act between its formal alliance with Taiwan and its long-running courtship of Beijing.
The Vatican is one of only 12 countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, and the only European state to do so, though it does not station an ambassador in Taipei. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has consistently pressured the small number of states that recognize the island to sever those ties.
Tzu Chi and Taiwan’s foreign ministry both confirmed that Turkson was in Taipei this week for the anniversary events. On Monday, he visited Tzu Chi’s headquarters in Hualien, the eastern county where the charity was founded.
Taiwan’s government welcomed the visit in direct terms. The foreign ministry said in a statement: “Taiwan and the Vatican share universal values including religious freedom, human rights, peace, and fraternity,” adding that it welcomes and supports international religious exchanges and cooperation.
Turkson’s trip is not the first time a Vatican official has traveled to Taiwan in recent years, but it remains uncommon given the Holy See’s ongoing engagement with Beijing. Another Vatican official, Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, under-secretary of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, visited Taiwan last year to attend a conference and meet members of its different faiths. These visits are calibrated carefully — senior enough to signal respect for the relationship, but below the level that would provoke Beijing into open protest.
On Sunday night, thousands of Tzu Chi volunteers and staff gathered at Taipei’s Liberty Square for the main anniversary celebration. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te attended, as did Raymond Greene, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan. The presence of both the American representative and a Vatican cardinal at the same event gave the celebration a pronounced diplomatic dimension beyond its religious significance.
Regional and Global Impact
Vacation-China relations has been added complexity by the timing of Turkson’s visit. The Holy See has been pursuing a renewed working arrangement with Beijing — centered on a provisional agreement, first signed in 2018 and renewed since, governing the appointment of Catholic bishops in China. That agreement has been contentious within the Church and remains a point of tension with Taiwan, which views Vatican recognition as both a diplomatic asset and a signal of its international legitimacy.
Despite the formal Vatican-Taiwan relationship, President Lai neither attended Pope Francis’ funeral last year nor the inauguration of Pope Leo at the Vatican — a notable absence that suggested Taipei was being cautious about moves that might complicate the Holy See’s engagement with China. Turkson’s visit to Taipei this week runs in the opposite direction, reaffirming the relationship in a public setting.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry described the shared values between Taipei and the Vatican as encompassing religious freedom, peace, human rights, and interfaith cooperation — language that aligns closely with how Taiwan frames its broader diplomatic identity to the international community.
Background
The Tzu Chi Foundation was established in 1966 and has grown into one of the world’s largest Buddhist humanitarian organizations, operating disaster relief missions, medical programs, and educational initiatives across multiple countries and faith communities. It is headquartered in Hualien and draws volunteers from across Taiwan and the global diaspora. The Vatican and Taiwan have maintained diplomatic relations for over eight decades, a legacy that predates the People’s Republic of China’s founding in 1949. The Holy See’s provisional agreement with Beijing on bishop appointments, first reached in 2018, has complicated but not severed that arrangement. Pope Leo, who succeeded Pope Francis, has continued the broad outlines of Vatican engagement with China since taking office last year.
What Happens Next
As part of the Tzu Chi anniversary schedule, Turkson is expected to remain in Taiwan for the week. No formal bilateral meetings between Turkson and senior Taiwanese government officials have been confirmed beyond his attendance at the foundation’s events. The Vatican’s silence in response to Reuters’ request for comment leaves its official position on the visit unstated. Taiwan’s foreign ministry has said it will continue to support international religious exchanges, suggesting further interfaith diplomacy with the Holy See is expected. No date for a reciprocal Vatican visit by Taiwanese officials has been announced.
