President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday paid his respects to Pope Francis during a visit to the Catholic Archdiocese of Taipei, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) would act as Lai’s envoy to the pope’s funeral.
Lai, who was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and Archbishop of Taipei Thomas Chung (鍾安住), offered incense, sprinkled holy water, and presented flowers, fruit and a ceremonial cup, before taking three bows.
Following Francis’ death on Monday, Lai offered his condolences on social media, saying that “we will continue to draw inspiration from [Francis’] lifelong commitment to peace, global solidarity, and caring for those in need.”
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
Pope Francis died of a stroke and subsequent heart failure at his residence at the age of 88, the Vatican said.
The Holy See is one of 12 states in the world that have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan and the only one in Europe.
Previous Taiwanese presidents have joined world leaders in participating in key papal events, including then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at the inauguration of Pope Francis in 2013.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwanese Embassy to the Holy See
Ma’s predecessor, Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
Lai yesterday did not respond to media questions on whether he would attend the pope’s funeral at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City in person on Saturday.
Wu had previously told reporters that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was “still in talks” with the Vatican on the matter.
He acknowledged that the Holy See might have “certain concerns” and declined to elaborate.
Later yesterday, the ministry said in a statement that Lai had appointed Chen Chien-jen as his envoy to attend Francis’ funeral.
Chen Chien-jen’s appointment of to the pope’s funeral in the Vatican City was made following discussions with the Holy See, it said.
It also cited Chien-jen’s previous meetings with Pope Francis on six occasions and his role as an academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences as reflecting the close relationship between the two sides.
Wu did not respond directly to media questions at an event in Taipei about whether Beijing had pressured the Holy See to not allow Lai himself to attend the funeral in person.
Wu emphasized that Chen Chien-jen, who served as vice president alongside former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) from 2016 to 2020, was “the best choice under the current circumstances.”
The Holy See and China do not have diplomatic relations, but the two sides in 2018 signed a historic agreement on the appointment of bishops in China.
While the Vatican said at the time said that the deal was not political, some Western media outlets reported it as a sign of warming ties between the two.
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS