Apology did not go far enough

Beijing - China said yesterday Pope John Paul's apology for Church errors of the colonial past did not go far enough because …

Beijing - China said yesterday Pope John Paul's apology for Church errors of the colonial past did not go far enough because he did not say sorry for canonising Catholic martyrs on China's National Day last year.

But the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Sun Yuxi, said China would still resume talks on opening diplomatic ties with the Vatican if the Holy See cut relations with Taiwan and agreed not to interfere in China's internal affairs. The Pope's request for forgiveness and understanding for the errors of missionaries in colonial times last Wednesday was "a positive expression", Mr Sun said.