Ma responds to pope’s 2016 World Peace Day message

2016/01/28

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou sent a letter to Pope Francis Jan. 19 in response to the head of the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace message issued at the beginning of the year.

“I heartily agree with and admire the profound insights expressed in your message celebrating the 2016 World Day of Peace … which calls on people around the world to build a culture of solidarity, mercy and compassion to combat global selfishness, resignation and indifference,” Ma said.

Widespread indifference to poverty and the environment has created new forms of poverty and injustice that may ultimately threaten global security and peace, the president said. “If we wish to foster peace, we must overcome people’s indifference.”

According to Ma, since he took office in May 2008, Taiwan has faithfully fulfilled its responsibility as a responsible member of the global community by providing relief to victims of natural disasters and wars in Guatemala, Nepal, northern Iraq, Syria and West Africa.

The president said as peace also requires consensus and collaboration, he proposed the East China Sea and South China Sea Peace Initiatives to address tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Based on clearly defined concepts, those initiatives “call on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, shelve disputes and use peaceful means such as consultation and dialogue to resolve conflict,” he added. The president said over the last seven years, he has done his utmost to encourage peaceful interaction between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and overcome numerous obstacles.

In particular, his November 2015 meeting with mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Singapore serves as a positive example of settling disputes through peaceful means for other regions facing similar difficulties.

As a result of the government’s peaceful approach to cross-strait relations, Taipei-Beijing exchanges are the most stable in 66 years. “I believe this will gradually help move mainland Chinese society toward greater freedom and openness.”

Lauding the strong Taipei-Vatican partnership over the past 73 years, Ma said the two states shared a commitment to democracy, freedom and peace. “Together we will work to advance freedom, justice and peace, and spread these values to mainland China and the rest of the world.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=241720&ctNode=2194&mp=9)