The Crisis in Taiwan that Conservatives Prefer to Ignore

Monday, February 27, 2023

The Crisis in Taiwan that Conservatives Prefer to Ignore

By: Vincent Kato | Japan

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The Crisis in Taiwan that Conservatives Prefer to Ignore

“He (Jesus) spoke also to them a similitude: Can the blind lead the blind? do they not both fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39)

From late December of 2022 to early January of 2023, I visited Taiwan for the first time in three and a half year due to the Covid-19 “pandemic”. I used to visit once or twice a year since my stay in Taiwan from 2004 to 2006. The atmosphere of Taiwan was not so different from Japan. Wearing mask outside was not mandatory anymore from December 1, 2022 onward^{^[1]}, people still wore mask. Although western media including Japanese ones often reported on the risk of war between Taiwan and Beijing, the atmosphere there was peaceful and not so different from my last visits.

During my stay, I met a Taiwanese clergy who was born on the island. We naturally talked about the present situation of Taiwan. He showed his distrust toward the U.S., talking about the case of Ukraine. At the same time, he told me he was both Taiwanese and Chinese. I also visited a mortuary at Cardinal Tien Hospital in Taipei with a priest whom I knew well and prayed for the late Joseph Ti-kang, Archbishop Emeritus of Taipei who passed away on December 29, 2022. He defended the Catholic teachings on homosexuality and denounced the Taiwan Lourdes Association with its association with the LGBT movement^{^[2]}. He even urged to vote out the 66 members of the Legislative Yuan who supported same-sex marriage^{^[3]}.

However, many conservatives both in the U.S. and Japan have underestimated or even ignored the promotion and infiltration of the LGBT ideology into every part of the society in Taiwan. The reason is they are in favor of President Tsai Ing wen and the left-wing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) they are so naive to believe they are protecting the democracy in Taiwan from Beijing.

To be fair, it is true that there are some politicians who promote the LGBT ideology in the Kuomintang (KMT). For example, former President Ma Ying-jeou supported the pride parade^{^[4]} when he was a mayor of Taipei although he did not promote it while he was in office as President. Chiang Wan-an, the incumbent mayor of Taipei voted for same sex marriage^{^[5]}. But there remains a few in their party. The DPP has many supporters of the LGBT ideology such as Yu Mei-nu, an advocate for the legalization of same-sex marriage and Hsiao Bi-khim, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. As for other political parties, the New Power Party (NPP) formed after the so-called Sunflower Student Movement in 2014 fully supported the LGBT movement^{^[6]}.

In Japan, due to the activists of the Taiwan independence movement such as Kin Birei (Chin Mei-ling), both liberals and conservatives support Tsai Ying-wen and the DPP. For many years, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) once supported the KMT, but Kobayahi Yoshinori, a rightwing Japanese cartoonist who authored “Neo Gōmanism Manifesto Special - On Taiwan” with the supports of Kin, other activists and politicians in favor of Taiwan independence including the late Lee Teng-hui totally changed the trend. Now Japanese often simply believe native Taiwanese (Benshengren) and the DPP are good while mainlander Taiwanese (Waishengren) and the KMT are evil.

Furthermore, Kin Birei who served as national policy adviser to President Chen Shui-bian from 2000 to 2005^{^[7]} and Sakurai Yoshiko, a well-known “conservative” journalist were close friends of the late Abe Shinzo so they were very influential to the former prime minister on the policy for Taiwan although Abe’s grandfather Kishi Nobusuke was very close to Changt Kai Shek^{^[8]}. There is a case proving their close relationship. On the final day of Sumo wrestling in May, 2019, Abe took President Donald Trump to Kin and Sakurai to so that they could shook hands each other^{^[9]}.

Japanese conservatives were completely blind even after same-sex marriage in Taiwan was legalized. In January of 2020, Sakurai Yoshiko, Kin Birei and journalist Kadoda Ryusho visited Taiwan^{^[10]} to support Tsai Ing-wen and DPP even after the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan. It is a sharp contradiction that they are against the LGBT ideology in Japan. Sakurai expressed her strong reservations about the LDP on LGBT bill in 2021^{^[11]}.

In the U.S., the situation is not so different from Japan. Politicians including Donald Trump and Mike Pence did not pay much attention to Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP’s support for same-sex marriage either. Generally, the Republicans are pro-family and the Democrats are pro-LGBT, but I myself cannot find any difference in their policy for Taiwan.

Even some Catholic media were the same on this issue. the National Catholic Register’s article by Dr. Victor Gaetan published on December 19, 2017, it was apparently pro-DPP and he favorably introduced Philip Chen Chien-jen who was the vice-President at that time as “devout Catholic”.^{^[12]} The article on Taiwan by Mr. Ray Cavanaugh for the Catholic World report reads Chien as “Taiwan’s devoutly Catholic vice president”^{^[13]} in 2020. However, Some Catholic media already reported Chen’s view on same-sex marriage before 2017.^{^[14]}^{^[15]} Chen took the issue only as a matter of discussion among people, nothing to do with God who created the world. In December 5, 2015, he even praised Tsai that “she has a Christian spirit, strives to make Taiwan a better place, and has the wisdom, courage and compassion of ‘a good shepherd’ who can drive out jackals and wolves for the flock. It is a blessing from God to have such a presidential candidate.”^{^[16]} Chen was installed as premier on January 31, 2023^{^[17]} but I cannot expect anything good from him.

After reading an article by UCA News in 2015, I myself deeply worried that Taiwan would legalize same-sex marriage and started to write letters to some Christian leaders there. I wrote letters to some Catholic bishops there and pastors of the Presbyterian Church such as Rev. Lyim Hong-Tiong in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT). Two Catholic bishops replied my letter. For a few years, I exchanged letters with one of them. Here is a part of my letter to a bishop in 2017:

Dear Your Excellency,

Receiving the news of the constitutional interpretation on same-sex marriage, I felt very sad. On December 26 of the last year, I and my friend went to the Legislation Yuan to attend the movement against same-sex marriage. I saw many people protested. Most of the judges looked down on them in the end.

On same sex marriage, I am very dissatisfied the attitude of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. I wrote a letter to Rev. Lyim Hong-Tiong did not reply. Taiwanese churches in Japan also not so interested either.

In Taiwan there are many Japanese who support the legalization of same-sex marriage while there is almost no Japanese who defends marriage and family. In Japan, it seems many people do not oppose to same-sex marriage, perhaps they think it cannot affect their circumstances. Japanese media generally have the attitude of support, so they never care about those who are against same-sex marriage. It is very unfair.

Japanese “conservatives” who originally oppose same-sex marriage are absolutely not reliable. In reflection of their machiavellism, they never want to point out that “pro-Japanese” President Tsai Ing-wen supports same-sex marriage although they love “pro-Japanese” former President Lee Teng-hui who once showed his opposition toward it. In short, Japanese “conservatives” take Taiwan as their instrument, not their friend.

In Japan. Both Catholicism and Protestantism has ignored the situation in Taiwan to this day. I emailed some Catholic and Protestant media ask9ing ton take this problem. From them, I have never received any reply. I consider both Catholics and Protestants lost the spirit of Christ in Japan.

***

On the other hand, there was no reply from the PCT while it was against same-sex marriage at that time^{^[18]}. Perhaps it was because they fully supported Tsai Ing wen^{^[19]}.

In 2017, I visited Tokyo Taiwan Church where a Taiwanese pastor, Rev. Li Meng-Che from the PCT worked at that time. I asked him about the issue of same-sex marriage, and showed the documents that the PCT was against same-sex marriage. Unfortunately, he did not know the documents and said nothing about it. So, I wrote a letter to the pastor and asked if he received my letter. He told me he had received my letter but he declined to say his opinion on same-sex marriage. About one year later, the pastor suddenly passed away. I wondered if his faith was strong enough to save himself.

Around the end of 2016, I visited Taiwan during my winter holiday. One of my Catholic friends invited me to a protest against the examination of the bill for legalization of same-sex marriage on December 26^{^[20]}. We went to the Legislative Yuan to protest. There were people shouting “Stop Examination!” and etc. I also prayed the rosary there.

Protest against the examination of the bill for same-sex marriage and indoctrination of sexual and gender diversity activities in school, Taipei on Dec.26, 2016.

During these years of the battle, it was the American pro-family group, MassResistance, which helped people to act against the legalization of same-sex marriage and the LGBT indoctrination in Taiwan^{^[21]}. It is a shame that no foreign Catholics helped people very much at that time.

In 2018, Taiwanese voters by majority rejected same-sex marriage and LGBT indoctrination in a national referendum^{^[22]}, but the government did not pay much attention to it as we know. I wonder how journalists and politicians still support Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP as defenders of democracy.

When same-sex marriage was legalized in 2019, Philip Chen Chien-jen fully supported it by posting a comment on his Facebook account on May 17, 2019.^{^[23]} Perhaps it is written in Chinese only, no media has covered it. Therefore, I introduce it in English for reference as follows:

Love is always patient and kind! [1 Corinthians 13:4]

After nearly three years of discussion, confrontation, and conflict, the Legislative Yuan finally passed the third reading of the J. Y. Interpretation No. 748^{^[24]} of the Judicial Yuan today. Thank you to the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative Chambers for ensuring the fundamental right of every person in Taiwan to pursue lifelong happiness through the democratic rule of law mechanism, with mutual understanding, mutual respect, tolerance, integration, and acceptance of care.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”^{^[25]} Furthermore, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”^{^[26]}

The Justices of the Judicial Yuan issued the following interpretation on the interpretation of the Constitution on marriage registration to protect human rights: “The provisions of Chapter II on Marriage of Part IV on Family of the Civil Code do not allow two persons of the same sex to create a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the purpose of living a common life. The said provisions, to the extent of such failure, are in violation of the Constitution’s guarantees of both the people’s freedom of marriage under Article 22 and the people’s right to equality under Article 7. The authorities concerned shall amend or enact the laws as appropriate in accordance with the ruling of this Interpretation within two years from the date of announcement of this Interpretation”^{^[27]}

The Executive Yuan has courageously assumed its responsibility, exercised its utmost wisdom and patience, and continuously communicated and coordinated with the pro and con sides in an effort to reduce social differences, and proposed a bill that not only conforms to the conclusion of the Justice's interpretation of the Constitution, but also responds to the majority opinion of the referendum. In the face of the tensions between the pro and con sides, the legislators still uphold the democratic spirit of accommodating diverse opinions and complete the legislative work of the bill smoothly, which deserves our utmost gratitude.

The completion of this bill not only demonstrates to the international community that Taiwan is a pluralistic, lively, and mature democratic country, but also that Taiwan citizens are capable of resolving major social differences through a democratic consultation system. More importantly, we are also demonstrating Taiwan's determination and perseverance in actively implementing human rights protection to the world.

Everyone, regardless of gender orientation, has the basic human right to pursue lifelong happiness. If two people love each other and are willing to establish a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature, we should respect and support them. Such a relationship of “being one and growing old together” is not only a commitment of sacrifice, but also a core value of life to be cherished!

I have always believed that all the world's great religions, with their compassion and wisdom, encourage the faithful to respect God and love others, and to appreciate each other's differences in a spirit of freedom, equality and fraternity, with mutual understanding, respect, acceptance and care!

In July 2013, Pope Francis said, “If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?”^{^[28]} In May 2018, Pope Francis met Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay Chilean victim of sexual abuse by a priest, and said, “God made you this way and loves you this way.”^{^[29]}

The compassion, love and kindness of the people of Taiwan are greatly appreciated by our international friends! I sincerely hope that from today onwards, we can all come out of the stratosphere with a free and open attitude, try to listen to the voices of those who disagree, understand and love each other to the best of our ability, and wish all lovers in the world a happy marriage with our most sincere hearts! Let us join hands and continue to make Taiwan a beacon of freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights in Asia.

***

The Catholic Church in Taiwan as a whole stuck to the teachings of the Church on homosexuality and was against same-sex marriage. Father Otfried Chan, secretary general of the Taiwan bishops' conference did much but it failed to admonish Catholic advocates of the LGBT ideology such as Frank Wang^{^[30]} whose friend was Dr. Ogasawara Shin’ya of LGBTQ Min’na no Misa in Japan^{^[31]}, A-Mei (Kulilay Amit), Puyuma singer who composed a song “Rainbow”^{^[32]} and showed her support for the LGBT movement in concert^{^[33]}. But after legalization, some Catholic leaders including Archbishop of Taipei, Most Rev. John Hung Shan-chuan, S.V.D., supported Tsai’s re-election in 2019^{^[34]}.

The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was not so good. On October14, 2019, a group of fifty pastors visited the Office of the President supporting Tsai’s re-election^{^[35]}.The late Lee Teng-hui who was also known as Presbyterian Christian once against same-sex marriage based on the Bible in 2013^{^[36]}, but he did not say anything after the legalization and even supported Tsai Ing-wen for her reelection in the same year.^{^[37]} On the other hand, Rev. Kao Chun-ming, Presbyterian pastor and advocate for Taiwan independence, tried to persuade Tsai Ing-wen not to legalize same-sex marriage^{^[38]} and he even requested she not to run for the second term of Presidency^{^[39]}.

In 2019, when I visited Tokyo Pride Parade held at Yoyogi Park, I found a booth^{^[40]} by the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) ^{^[41]}and Taiwan AIDS Foundation^{^[42]}. I asked them whom they supported for the presidential election. They of course replied Tsai Ing-wen. Since then, the pressure of the LGBT ideology continues to grow in Japan.

A booth by a Taiwanese LGBT group promoting “marriage equality” at Tokyo Rainbow Pride in 2019

Now Taiwan is promoting the LGBT ideology all the more by extending same-sex marriage for transnational “couples” from 2024^{^[43]}. Unfortunately, major pro-family groups such as the Coalition for the Happiness of our Next Generation^{^[44]} and the Family Guardian Coalition^{^[45]} are already defunct and have no ability to fight. To make matters worse, none of the conservatives who blindly supported Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP have shown any sense of shame for this even now. I would like the readers to remember the following quote and pray for especially those who have most need Our Lady’s mercy.

“The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil.” ―Fulton Sheen

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[1] https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En/Bulletin/Detail/VRVYABkMZ3OLkKDMQk1RFQ?typeid=158

[2] https://www.ucanews.com/news/retired-archbishop-warns-about-wayward-taiwan-lourdes-association/84350