Taipei-Vatican ties praised at pope’s anniversary mass

2016/03/09

ROC-Holy See ties are going from strength to strength on the back of expanding exchanges across a broad spectrum of areas, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 6.

During a mass celebrating the third anniversary of the election of Pope Francis at Taipei Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Deputy MOFA Minister Leo Chen-jan Lee said the two sides will continue bilateral cooperation and the promotion of global peace.

As a responsible stakeholder in the global community, Lee said, the ROC has been working with the Holy See over the past year in assisting victims displaced by war in northern Iraq and an earthquake and its aftershocks in Nepal.

Another example highlighting relations between the two sides is a special exhibition of rare treasures on loan from the Vatican underway at Taipei City-based National Palace Museum. It is the largest exhibition outside the Holy See of liturgical artifacts used by popes throughout the centuries, he added.

According to Lee, the pope’s quick message of condolences and compassion to the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City further illustrates the friendship shared by the ROC and Holy See.

Also attending the mass, ROC Vice President-elect Chen Chien-jen said he values the pope’s interest in Taiwan and expects the new administration to continue promoting relations with the Holy See.

Echoing Lee’s and Chen’s remarks, Monsignor Paul Russell, charge d’affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Taipei, said ROC-Holy See relations reflect shared convictions spanning democracy, freedom, human rights and reduction of tension among peoples and nations.

Russell said Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, will visit Taiwan in May for further collaboration under a joint education agreement concluded in 2011.

Another major cultural initiative, Russell added, is the staging in October of the first-ever Christian-Taoist dialogue organized by local religious organizations and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=242744&ctNode=2194&mp=9)