Dec. 6,2000 --- To: Pope John Paul II

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Your Holiness,

---“Healthy people don’t need any doctor. I didn’t come

so as to call on fair people but sinners” (Mc, 2; 17).

We decided to send you a new appeal to know Vatican’s viewpoint about a major crisis. Vatican has played a very important role to solve some crisis worldwide and some major local conflicts.  

Your Holiness established more and more diplomatic relations, promoted or enabled peace between Argentina and Great Britain (1979-1982), for the peoples of the Middle East (1984-2000), between Federal Republic of Germany and Democratic Republic of Germany (13-14 November 1989), in the Persian Gulf, (1990-1993), in Europe, particularly in the Balkans (1993-1999). Recently, Your Holiness received in audience Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority, and a Palestinian delegation, for signing a Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Though the conflict on Taiwan’s strait has nothing of a religious conflict, though China does not enable good relations with Vatican and makes the cooperation very difficult, we’d appreciate to know Vatican’s view about this major crisis. Let us give our and we’ll be glad to get your reply.

The year 2002 is coming soon. Jiang Zemin should announce that he will leave his place of president for a new president. Before that, he might be attempted to solve the conflict through the strait as much gloriously as possible. In that case, he would do something so irresponsible as the decision taken by Indonesian leaders towards Eastern Timor in September 1999 so as to « save » this region (in their viewpoint).

Since Chen took office in May, Mainland China has rejected his invitations to discuss ways of solving the 51-years-long conflict. Beijing’s leaders say Chen must agree that Taiwan is an inseperable part of one China. Moreover, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) asked Chen to work according to the 1992 consensus spirit, which means to promote the principle of one China.

Yet, Taipei and Beijing do not agree on the meaning of « one China ». It includes communist China only according to Beijing’s leaders. As for Chen Shui Bian, he said that the island’s future will depend on Taiwanese’s willing and to their willing only.

China, rather than answering Chen’s appeals for discussion, prefered to threaten Taiwan of a military intervention in case the talks would be reported for too long. If they don’t answer, does it mean that they prefer to play the game of the cat chasing for the mouse so as to catch it soon?

From his inaugural speech until now Chen Shui Bian has not stopped repeating that he wants a long-term peace and that nobody in the island wishes Chinese authorities will decide of Taiwan’s future by themselves.

Unlike Chen’s conciliant attitude towards Beijing’s threat, most Taiwanese citizens, young or older, women and men, want to keeping living under the actual situation, which means they prefer the statu quo than both, the independance and to be returned to China. (« Returned » is not the accurate world because Taiwan was ruled by China for a few years only).

How to present what is the real Republic of China (in Taiwan) to the world? Though some worldwide media give a fair image of Taiwan, many countries still ignore ROC’s contributions for democratic freedom and human rights.

Furthermore, the Taiwanese media do not try their best to speak objectively of their country. How can foreigners know the real Taiwan while Taiwanese citizens are not taught the real situation? As Frank Hsieh said last October 26^th, “Mainland China’s understanding of the DPP is probably from other parties or from [Chinese and Taiwanese] newspapers. This is a pity”.

Many countries are worrying about the excessive increase of China’s power. They think that most nations, including the current powerful nations, will suffer from the Chinese xenophobic complex, which has grown during the invasions at the end of the 19^th century, if the advanced nations don’t do anything so as to restrain, hold back this growing power’s expectations and demands.

In our view, the only way to save China from this defense mechanism is a joint effort of many nations to speed up the Chinese democratic process.

Please, Your Holiness, we need your help to judge by ourselves of what is fair. “Do you think that I went on this Earth so as to bring peace? No, I didn’t. I went here to divide you. As far as now, five people living in a house will be devided three against two and two against three. They’ll be opposed, the father against the son and the son against the father, the mother against her daughter and the daughter against her mother, the mother-in-law against the daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law” (Lc, 12; 51-53).

We need your help to understand the present time and to grow up through this conflict. We need your help to “take the beam away from our eye so as to see clearly and take the straw away from our brother’s eye”. In this mail, we don’t mention of internal problems, not because we don’t know them, but because they are another reason (and effect at the same time) of the conflict through the strait.

While God sent his son to the human beings, they had already started fighting and tried to dominate each other. Jesus came on this Earth to teach human being how to be humble, how to help each other and give to the poorest and needies.

Taiwan needs your help.

Yours sincerely,