KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Some in Taiwan are watching with growing unease as the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new leader following the death of Pope Francis. The Holy See is the only European state that maintains diplomatic relations with Taipei, but some fear the growing ties between the Vatican and Beijing could change things.

Taiwan is home to fewer than 300,000 Catholics. By contrast, estimates put the number of Catholics in communist China at anywhere between eight and 12 million, with another 390,000 in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong. Despite these figures, the Holy See continues to recognize Taiwan as the sole «China.»

After Pope Francis’ death, Taiwan’s President William Lai quickly said he planned to attend the funeral. A short time later, however, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that former Vice President and devout Catholic Chen Chien-jen will be Taiwan’s envoy. 

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According to Taipei-based lawyer and political risk analyst Ross Feingold, Taiwan will be disappointed that President Lai will miss this gathering of world leaders. «The precedent exists for Taiwan’s president to attend a pope’s funeral. In 2005, then-President Chen Shui-bian attended John Paul II’s funeral, so,» he claimed, «it’s safe to assume President Lai’s team inquired whether Lai could attend Francis’ funeral, and equally safe to assume the Holy See’s response was a negative one.»

After Pope Francis took office in 2013, the Vatican began to build ties with Beijing. In 2018, it signed a controversial agreement with China on the appointment of bishops. The deal—renewed and extended several times—gives both sides input on bishop selection, an attempt to bridge the divide between China’s state-run Catholic Church and an underground church loyal to Rome. Vatican officials insist the agreement is pastoral, not political. Still, for Taiwan, it is seen as a warning sign.

This picture taken on August 10, 2018, shows a motorcyclist riding past the Holy Spirit Church in Yanshui, about an hour’s drive from the southern city of Tainan.  (SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

China, which cut ties with the Holy See in 1951, demands that all countries end diplomatic relations with Taiwan before establishing relations with Beijing. Taiwan’s official allies now number but 12, and the Holy See is its most symbolically significant diplomatic partner.

But Thomas Tu, a Vatican diplomacy expert at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, told Fox News Digital that fears of an imminent switch are overblown. «This isn’t just about politics—it’s about the global Catholic mission,» Tu said. «The Vatican has survived empires. It’s patient.» Tu cited the Vatican’s relationship with Vietnam as evidence of pragmatic patience. China and Vietnam do not have formal ties, but the Vatican maintains a high-level religious representative there.

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People attend a Christmas mass at the Xishiku Catholic Church in Beijing on December 24, 2023.  (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Image)

Pope Francis believed that engagement with China, however imperfect, is preferable to nothing. Francis was the first pope to fly through Chinese airspace and famously sent greetings to President Xi Jinping in 2014. On his visit to Mongolia in 2023, the pontiff also sent a «warm greeting to the noble Chinese people.»

Each overture to Beijing has drawn criticism from within the Church, particularly from outspoken China critics, such as 93-year-old retired Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong, who was arrested in 2022 after China imposed a National Security Law that criminalized almost every form of dissent in that supposedly autonomous special administrative region. Zen’s passport was recently returned to him by authorities so he could attend the pope’s funeral.

Zen and others view any warming of ties with Beijing as kowtowing to an officially atheist regime.

Pope Francis greets the people of China as he concludes Mass in the Hun Theatre on September 3, 2023, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

Since 1957, Beijing, via its Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, has kept a tight leash on millions of Chinese Catholics. Pope Francis accepted some compromises with China, but the Vatican wants autonomy in spiritual matters, which may require a miracle to accomplish under China’s one-party dictatorship.

Some observers suggest that Beijing may eventually allow more space for the Vatican, but any formal deal would require the Holy See to sever ties with Taiwan, a non-negotiable prerequisite for China. 

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With a new pope being elected in the next month, some in Taiwan are worried about a shift, but few experts believe the next pontiff will make any hasty decisions. «There’s no rush,» said Dr. Chang Ching, a Senior Research Fellow of the ROC Society for Strategic Studies, «The Vatican knows how to wait, and China isn’t willing yet to grant the Chinese Catholic community the same privileges Catholics enjoy in most other nations. This seventy-plus-year rift is just a tiny moment in the long history of the Church and the even longer history of Chinese civilization.»

Varias personas murieron y otras resultaron heridas el sábado por la noche luego de que un conductor embistiera a una multitud durante un festival en la ciudad canadiense de Vancouver, según informaron las autoridades locales.

La Policía de Vancouver confirmó a través de un comunicado en X que “un número de personas han muerto y múltiples otras resultaron heridas”. El conductor fue detenido y permanece bajo custodia, agregaron las autoridades.

El incidente ocurrió poco después de las 20:00 horas locales (03:00 GMT del domingo) en el barrio Sunset on Fraser, mientras miembros de la comunidad filipina se congregaban para celebrar el Día de Lapu Lapu, según publicó el alcalde de Vancouver, Ken Sim, en redes sociales.

“Nuestros pensamientos están con todos los afectados y con la comunidad filipina de Vancouver en este momento increíblemente difícil”, escribió Sim.

Por su parte, el primer ministro de Canadá, Mark Carney, también manifestó su pesar a través de un mensaje en X: “Estoy devastado al escuchar sobre los horribles acontecimientos en el festival Lapu Lapu en Vancouver esta noche. Ofrezco mis más profundas condolencias a los seres queridos de los fallecidos y heridos, a la comunidad filipino-canadiense y a todos en Vancouver. Estamos de luto con ustedes. Estamos siguiendo de cerca la situación y agradecidos a nuestros socorristas por su rápida acción.”

También, el primer ministro de la provincia de Columbia Británica, David Eby, expresó en un mensaje su conmoción y dolor ante el trágico suceso. Asimismo, el líder del Nuevo Partido Democrático (NDP), Jagmeet Singh, envió sus condolencias a las víctimas y a la comunidad filipina.

Una guardia de seguridad del festival, Jen Idaba-Castaneto, relató al medio local Vancouver Is Awesome que la escena era caótica. “Había cuerpos por todas partes. No sabías a quién ayudar, aquí o allá. Es muy impactante”, describió.

Un testigo relató a CTV News que observó un vehículo negro circulando de manera errática en las inmediaciones del festival momentos antes de que la multitud fuera atropellada. Según informó el Vancouver Sun, miles de personas se encontraban en la zona en el momento del incidente.

“Yo no pude ver al conductor, lo único que escuché fue el ruido del motor”, declaró Yoseb Vardeh, operador de un camión de comida, en una entrevista con Postmedia.

“Salí de mi food truck, miré hacia la calle y vi cadáveres por todas partes”, añadió Vardeh. “El vehículo recorrió toda la cuadra y se dirigió directamente hacia el centro del festival”.

Fotografías difundidas por la emisora CBC mostraron la presencia de equipos de emergencia en la escena, donde más temprano se habían reunido grandes multitudes para participar en un desfile, proyecciones de cine, bailes y un concierto en el que se presentaban dos miembros de Black Eyed Peas.

El festival, que conmemora al líder indígena filipino Lapulapu, quien derrotó al explorador portugués Fernando de Magallanes en 1521, coincidía este año con el fin de semana previo a las elecciones federales en Canadá.

(Con información de AFP y EFE)

A driver ran a car into a crowd at a Filipino festival in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday night, leaving several victims dead and others injured, local authorities said. 

The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. at the Lapu Lapu Day block party, the Vancouver Police Department said in a social media post.

«A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival at E. 41st Avenue and Fraser shortly after 8 p.m. tonight,» police said.

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Vancouver police on the scene after an SUV plows into a crowd of people at a Filipino festival.  (X/marcmaravillas via Storyful)

The exact number of people dead or injured was not immediately known.

Police work on Fraser street, near the site of the Lapu Lapu day block party where a vehicle drove into a crowd killing several people in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada April 26, 2025.  (REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier)

The driver was taken into custody, police said. The motive for the person driving into the crowd is unclear at this time.

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Police officers work at the scene, after a vehicle drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu day block party, in what police say has left multiple people killed and injured, in Vancouver, Canada April 26, 2025. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)

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Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road. 

An ambulance is parked at the site of the Lapu Lapu day block party, where a vehicle drove into a crowd killing several people in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada April 26, 2025. (REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier)

A black SUV with a damaged front section was seen in still photos from the scene.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.