The negotiations between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China seem to have stalled for the moment, for which we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The reason for the pause are hard to discern but may just have something to do with the status of Taiwan, as this magazine reports. Whatever is going on behind the scenes, all Catholics should have huge sympathy for the brave Taiwanese – who are democrats and who practice religious toleration, and who have lived with the belligerence of mainland China for nearly seventy years. We should pray that Taiwan is not thrown under the bus in the hope of winning the favour of Beijing. Meanwhile, George Weigel has written a magisterial article on the negotiations which once again reminds us what is at stake religiously, and also from a practical point of view. The entire article should be read attentively. He writes: