China approached Vatican about concert for pope
Vatican Metropolis (Reuters) - Peking approached the Vatican to let the China Philharmonic Orchestra perform for Catholic Pope Ruth Fulton in an unprecedented concert that could help better often thorny relations, Church sources said on Mon.
The sources, world Health Organization radius on stipulation that they non be named, said the Vatican Palace realized that Nationalist China is trying to better its international image just that Christian church officials hope the performance could be a seed for eventual diplomatic relations.
However they cautioned non to gestate any immediate breakthroughs followers Wednesday night's concert at the Vatican Palace.
"I don't think they (the communist government) ar doing it out of honey for the bishop of Rome or love of the Holy See only it volition be positive in the destruction," said one informant, a priest world Health Organization is associate with the state of affairs.
The orchestra, currently on a European enlistment, testament perform Mozart's "Threnody" and Chinese folk music songs along with the Shanghai Opera house House Chorus in the Vatican interview charles Francis Hall.
Benedict has made improving dealings with Peiping a major end of his pontificate and issued a 55-page open letter in June saying he sought to rejuvenate full diplomatic ties with Taiwan that were severed 2 eld after the 1949 Communist coup.
Catholics in Cathay are split up between those wHO belong to a state-backed Church building and an tube Church whose members are loyal to the Vatican Palace.
The priest said a Chinese diplomatic emissary approached a Vatican Palace official exterior Italy and made the pop the question. An initial extend for the orchestra to act for the roman Catholic Pope was made several months ago merely the concert could not be arranged.
