Taiwan's ambassador to the Vatican Tou Chou-seng (杜筑生) revealed yesterday that his African chef -- a devout Muslim -- is his "secret weapon" in doing diplomatic work in the Holy See.
The chef started working for Tou when he was the ambassador to Senegal.
"In the beginning, he did not quite understand the format of diplomatic banquets. He cut meat into big chunks and served all courses within a short period," Tou said.
Tou, who is in Taipei to present a report on Taiwan-Vatican ties in the legislature, yesterday shared some anecdotes of his experiences in the Holy See with reporters.
The ambassador said his wife was dedicated in training the chef, who learnt how to make various Chinese delicacies.
"The delicious food my chef makes has indeed played a vital role in promoting interaction between Taiwanese and Vatican officials," Tou said.
"Vatican officials and clerics, including many cardinals, have showered praise on my chef's excellent cooking skills. He is a famous figure in the Vatican indeed," the ambassador said.
Tou also told how he taught President Chen Shui-bian (
"I told the president he only needed to follow what other people do during the mass. But I told him that, because he is not a Catholic, he should not kneel down when other people do so," the ambassador said.
"I think the president went through the mass rituals properly," he added.
Tou also introduced Chen to many Vatican officials and heads of state after the mass.
The ambassador said he told the president's delegation that it might not be possible for them to leave their seats to go to the toilet during the four-hour mass.
"After my briefing, no member of the president's delegation dared drink any juice or coffee," he said.
He added that the president's bodyguards were very concerned about his safety during the mass, because they felt they were not close enough to Chen to adequately protect him.
Tou, who was appointed ambassador to the Vatican last year, said Pope John Paul was already ill when he arrived at the Holy See.
The ambassador then started visiting potential successors to John Paul. One of the cardinals he visited was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI.
"Cardinal Ratzinger told me at that time that he hoped the people of Taiwan could help people in China gain freedom," Tou said.
The ambassador, who said he is a faithful follower of Confucius' teachings, does not feel inclined to convert to Catholicism.
"So far it seems that I haven't been touched by Catholicism," he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS