Interview with Thomas Ching-wei Tu

by EoF staff

About Thomas 

• Could you tell us about your academic and professional background?

I am a doctoral fellow at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Before joining the PhD program, I worked for the Taiwan government and public service think tank for almost ten years, most of which were spent on diplomacy, economic cooperation, and trade policies. This included Taiwan’s participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the bilateral negotiation of disputes between Taiwan and other respectable countries.

• What inspired you to transition from a decade of diplomatic experience to pursuing a Ph.D.?

Although Catholic beliefs are strong in Europe, America, and Africa, there are relatively few Catholics in Taiwan. My vocation has urged me to elaborate on Catholic identity and the Church’s beauty for my culture and the academy. It is risky, for sure, to move from one promising path to another unknown. However, I am eager to incorporate the teachings of tolerance, conversation, and peace into international studies despite how secularism has ignored religious impacts in international relations theories for decades.

• How has your faith influenced your academic and professional journey?

Catholic beliefs teach us to love one another and always encourage people to consider others without judging them beforehand. Its significance is without a literal call to love but also an invitation to delve deeper into others’ needs that could evoke our compassion. Being mindful of others may lead to laborious and tardiness, but it yields unexpected rewards. This is what I learned and how the faith influenced me.

• How did you first learn about the Economy of Francesco and what motivated you to become an active member?

When I was devoted to my Master’s dissertation, my supervisor, Prof. Ray Wang, conveyed the EoF application form to me. He encouraged me to visit the Holy See by participating in the Economy of Francesco. It would be a way to learn about the Church and its social doctrines.

• How does EoF’s mission resonate with your research and professional experience in international relations and diplomacy?

EoF is not just a Utopia but sheds light on the harm of a fast-consuming capitalized economy and paved the way to an inclusive future by transforming social teaching into a political-economic reality. When the world faces many challenges, from climate change to financial crisis, people ask if a good idea could apply to these enormous problems. EoF leads me, who works closely with diplomats and policymakers, to think inclusively and broader than pure interest calculations. Sometimes, making a change requires abundant courage. However, EoF is my backbone and where my creative thoughts come from.

• Could you share a specific moment or experience with EoF that was particularly meaningful for you?

When I arrived in Assisi for the first in-person gathering, after stepping down to the station, I was suddenly called from my backside, ‘You must be Thomas!,’ Klaus Raupp, a senior tutor from EoF Life-and-Lifestyle Village, gave me his warmest welcome. We had never met each other in person before. But he shows how EoF cherishes us to work together. It was an emotional moment for me, as I come from an internationally isolated country. The moment made me feel that the world welcomed us, not only me but also Taiwan’s participation through the EoF and Church. I was also enlightened by many creative, energetic, and motivational faces and their stories, especially when I was surprisingly invited to be on stage with our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Workshop: Bringing Religion into International Relations

• Your workshop “Bringing Religion into International Relations: from Facts to Theories” explores the intersection of religion and politics in global systems. What inspired you to propose this topic?

Secularism aimed to neutralize the social-political spaces for people with different ideological backgrounds and to be respectful of each other. But, it also partially led to nihilism, relativism, and neglect of religious impacts on international relations, especially for the theories. I am not assuming that religious studies should be or could be the main factor in international studies. Still, I want to suggest that religion is ‘right there’ as human nature and deserves us to explore its existence in global systems.

• In your opinion, why has religion been relatively underexplored in the field of international relations?

Secularism is one of the driving forces. It encourages people to separate religion from the public sphere to personal private, which undoubtedly brings us to a more mutually respectful society. Nevertheless, religion is still an essential and powerful human nature. Although it is not explicit about elaborating or evaluating religious effects in international relations, they are worth exploring, especially for those with specific religious backgrounds.

• How can religion be a key factor in diplomacy or conflict resolution, as seen in recent global events?

In recent regional conflicts, such as the Israel-Palestine-Islamic Alliance or the Ukraine-Russia war, religious differences have spurred disputes. The same religious perspective also suggests potential peace resolutions, such as setting up conversation channels for both sides, proposing a prudential resolution, and calling attention to the vulnerable victims of the conflicts etc.

Academic Research and Insights

• Could you briefly summarize the main findings of your research on Vatican diplomacy?

As the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States — Archbishop Gallagher elaborated, the Holy See’s diplomatic mission is a sign of hope; Vatican diplomacy serves the common good and affirms a shared yearning for stability, security, and peace. From my perspective, the Holy See’s diplomats are not utopians. They follow the rules of the realists to obtain religious rights but also aim to bring peace and love to their counterparts. The virtues of being a realist and a religious person are often inconsistent. However, they found little difficulty through their prudence and patience, which are charming and await us scholars to discover more.

• How does your work deepen the understanding of the link between religion and diplomacy?

Religion as a variable in international relations has arisen from the specific challenges the Islamic world posed to U.S. realpolitik in 2000. Since then, Islam has been classified as a branch of non-traditional security studies concerned with national security and stability. However, such a focus on Religion and Politics emphasizes the passive role of religious behavior in the international community, leading to a misunderstanding of religion’s natural standpoint in human societies. To clarify the basis of religion, I am cooking a workshop this July (2025) in Krakow, Poland, under the support of the European International Studies Association (EISA). I am eager to collect more evidence on how religious institutional behavior brought goodness to our international society. For more information and CfP, please check-  https://eisa-net.org/ewis-2025/

Future Directions and Reflections

• What role do you envision for religion in shaping international relations?

Religion enlightens personal living purpose, self-consciousness, and self-identity.

It also occurs between competing authorities at the state level, making Religion and Politics worth discussing in Political Science. Religion would also be a compelling factor when facing international challenges. It leads people to transcend the limitations of life and death, broadening the scale of rational calculations and shaping a different purpose for human life. This might be another option in dealing with the global crisis, which might eventually take us to new international relations.

• What advice would you give to those interested in the intersection of religion and global politics?

Religions are often linked to specific beliefs, cultures, and even languages. However, when we are interested in discovering religion’s roles in global politics, we must be open-minded to different identities and possibilities to accept clues. Although Religion and Politics in IR are not mature research issues in political science, they are worth studying. I am sure that if one is devoted to this research field, one will experience an inspiring and enlightening journey.