Pope Francis’ special envoy arrived in Taiwan yesterday to attend the National Eucharistic Congress, a decision which shows that the Vatican deeply cherishes Catholics in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is to attend the concluding celebration of the Fourth National Eucharistic Congress in Yunlin County today, the statement said.
At a meeting with Filoni at the Presidential Office Building yesterday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that Catholics have been a major force for good in Taiwan, where different religions have coexisted and interacted peacefully.
Photo: CNA
“The Vatican and Taiwan have held several religious meetings. We hope that Filoni’s visit will help further promote mutual understanding and exchanges between the two sides,” Tsai said.
Filoni’s visit is to last until Sunday. He also met with Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday and is due to attend a series of Catholic events, the ministry said.
The congress is a gathering of clergy and lay people to bear witness to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, an important Roman Catholic doctrine, it said.
Since 2011, Taiwan’s seven Catholic dioceses have taken turns hosting the event every two to three years. This year’s congress is being hosted by the Diocese of Chiayi, but is to be staged at Yunlin County Stadium.
The pope in 2016 sent Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, to attend the Third National Eucharistic Congress, the ministry said.
The visit comes after a group of Taiwanese bishops in May last year held their first ad limina meeting with the pope in 10 years to report on the state of their dioceses.
The bishops invited the pope to visit Taiwan, but he decided to send Filoni instead.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS