Catholic Church in Taiwan
|
|
The Catholic Church in Taiwan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. The island has been part of a territorial jurisdiction since 1514, when it was included in the Diocese of Funchal. As a missionary jurisdiction, there was some organized Catholic activity on the island. In 1576, the first Chinese diocese was established in Macau. This covered most of mainland China as well as Taiwan. From the 16th century through the 19th century, this diocese was divided several times. In chronological order, Taiwan belonged to the dioceses of Nanking (1660), Fukien (1696) and Amoy/Hsiamen (1883).
In 1913, the Apostolic Vicariate of the Island of Formosa (Taiwan) was established, being detached from the Diocese of Amoy. It was renamed Khaosung in 1949. At the present time, the hierarchy consists of:
The current head of the Catholic Church in Taiwan is Archbishop Joseph Cheng Tsai-fa of Taipei, who was appointed in January 2004.
Between 1.5 and 2% of the population belong to the Catholic Church.
Since 1949, the Papal nuncio to China has been stationed in Taiwan (Republic of China). Also, the ROC ambassador to the Vatican has provided the only permanent diplomatic link between China and the Vatican. Attempts to move the Papal nuncio to Beijing has failed, as the Vatican has not accepted demands by the People's Republic of China that it sever its diplomatic links with Taiwan.
The Roman Catholic Church operates one university in Taiwan, the Fu Jen Catholic University.
External link
- Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference (http://www.catholic.org.tw/)