Vatican pulls representatives from Taiwan, Hong Kong without explanation

The Roman Catholic Church has shuffled its representatives in key East Asian countries, drawing speculation that the Vatican is making good faith moves to appease the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), an accusation that Catholic prelates deny.

On Jan. 31, the Vatican announced that Monsignor Arnaldo Catalan in Taiwan would be leaving the country to take a new position in Rwanda. Five days later, it was announced that Monsignor Javier Herrera Corona of Hong Kong would be moving stations to the Congo. 

The Vatican has not had formal diplomatic relations with Beijing since the Communist Revolution, but the newly vacated seats in Hong Kong and Taiwan – two key international positions for communication with the CCP – have raised concerns that…