HONG KONG (UCAN) -- Church-in-China observers say a recent performance by a mainland orchestra in the Vatican indicated a measure of exchange and dialogue but did not signify changes in China-Vatican relations or China's religious policy.

China's official Xinhua news agency and China Daily reported on May 8 that Pope Benedict XVI had listened to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem in D minor and the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower, performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) and Shanghai Opera House Chorus in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

The May 7 evening concert, the first for a Chinese orchestra in the Vatican, also was widely reported in other mainland media on May 8 and May 9. Some news stories highlighted that the pope had spoken in Chinese and offered his good wishes for the Beijing Olympics.

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po daily reported on May 9 that this was not only China's first official artistic group to perform in the Vatican City, but also the first time any pope has watched a performance by artists from the People's Republic of China.

Many mainland Catholic websites also carried news on the event.

Kwun Ping-hung, a Hong Kong-based observer of China-Vatican relations, spoke with UCA News about the concert and its implications.

In light of international concern over these relations and the Beijing Olympics, the concert was apparently a positive indication of exchange and dialogue, he said on May 7. He added that the concert also showed sincerity from both sides, which could eliminate some tension.

However, the concert would not lead to a breakthrough in China-Vatican relations, Kwun said. Some positive effect is possible, but it is too early to assess this, he added. Nevertheless, he expects contacts from both sides will continue.

Anthony Lam Sui-ki, senior researcher at Hong Kong diocese's Holy Spirit Study Centre, told UCA News on May 8 that China wanted to lessen its international isolation, as evidenced in the problems faced by the Beijing Olympics torch relays.

Lam said the concert was definitely a positive development, since both sides coming into contact improves communication. But he is not optimistic about progress in China-Vatican relations unless senior officials from both sides visit each other, whether officially or privately.

China always tends to play it "safe" in relations with the Vatican, he added.

Lam also said China's religious policy fluctuates, pointing out that Ye Xiaowen, director of State Administration for Religious Affairs, made remarks critical of the Vatican just two months ago.

In an interview published in the March 10 issue of China's Nanfang Weekender, a newsweekly, Ye criticized the Vatican's policy toward China.

Both Lam and Kwun also agree that the Tibet issue is fundamentally different from China-Vatican relations, as the former is an internal matter for Beijing while the latter involves foreign affairs.

On May 4, envoys of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader living in exile in India, met with United Front Work officials in Shenzhen, southern China, Xinhua reported.

A mainland researcher in southern China told UCA News that both the Tibet and China-Vatican issues involve national sovereignty and so cannot be resolved without dialogue and communication. However, the concert in the Vatican made the future of China-Vatican relations look promising, he said.

A China Foreign Ministry spokesperson told a regular press conference in Beijing on May 8 that the concert in the Vatican was a success in terms of cultural exchange, deepening understanding between Chinese and Europeans.

China hopes to work with the Vatican toward normalizing relations, he said.

Earlier, the ministry had said music is a universal language that could gather together people of different countries, cultures and religions.

Ye also told Wen Wei Po on May 2 that cultural exchange is good for enhancing communication between the two states, but he asserted that the concert at the Vatican was just one stop during the orchestra's European tour.

END