The nation's Catholic priests and government officials said diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Holy See will not be affected by the death of Pope John Paul II, while admitting that the Vatican is eager to establish official relations with China.
Asked whether the Pope's death would change Taiwan's relations with its only diplomatic ally in Europe, Archbishop Joseph Cheng (
But John Paul II's opposition to abortion posed one of the major difficulties in the Vatican's efforts to improve relations with China, whose one-child policy often led to compulsory abortion and sterilization, Cheng said.
The Holy See, though keen on establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing, will maintain its principle of not cutting ties with its allies.
"It will never propose severing ties with Taiwan," Cheng said. "It is natural that the Vatican hopes to take care of the people on other side [of the Taiwan Strait] and the 12 million Catholics there. The purpose of the church is to shepherd people in every corner of the world."
But the Vatican has already downgraded its relations with Taipei once. In 1980 it recalled its last ambassador to Taiwan, and its hasn't sent another since. Instead it has sent a succession of lower-ranked representatives.
The Vatican's embassy in Taipei offered a book of condolences for people to sign their names in remembrance of John Paul II. The address of the embassy is 87 Aikuo East Road.
Government officials yesterday visited the embassy to pay their tribute to the Pope. The embassy is closed today for Tomb-Sweeping Day and will reopen tomorrow for foreign diplomats to sign the book of condolences. The general public can sign the book on Thursday and Friday.
Monsignor Ambrose Madtha, the Holy See's representative to Taipei, said that the book of condolences will be sent to the Vatican for collection.
The Archdiocese of Taipei will hold a memorial mass for the Pope at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Taipei at 5pm tomorrow.
Cardinal Paul Shan (
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
RSS