Former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) in the Vatican on Sunday said that he would strive to make more friends, and let the world know about Taiwan’s adherence to freedom and democracy, despite the grave challenges facing the nation.
Chen arrived in the Holy See on Saturday to attend yesterday’s beatification ceremony for Pope John Paul I as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) special envoy.
The Vatican is Taiwan’s sole European ally.
Photo: CNA
Chen yesterday said he met with Pope Francis before the ceremony.
He said he relayed Tsai’s greetings to the pope and asked him to pray for Taiwanese.
Francis in response smiled and asked him to pray together for world peace, Chen said.
Photo provided by the Taiwanese Embassy to the Holy See
He said he also presented the pope with a book that documented the work of Catholic missionaries in Taiwan.
Chen is heading a delegation of six people comprising his staff, a security detail and his wife, Lo Fong-ping (羅鳳蘋), the Presidential Office said.
Upon the delegation’s arrival in Rome on Saturday, Chen visited the Taiwanese Embassy to the Holy See, where he praised the nation’s diplomats stationed in the Vatican.
Photo provided by the Taiwanese Embassy to the Holy See
He also visited a calligraphy and painting exhibition, titled “Friendly Taiwan meets Fratelli tutti,” celebrating 80 years of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Holy See.
Chen and his wife are today to attend Mass at Saint Sophia Cathedral, the office said. The couple also plan to make official visits to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Caritas Internationalis, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to engage with the church and affiliated organizations on issues surrounding Taiwan’s participation in international humanitarian efforts.
Chen is the second Taiwanese to be named a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the first to be appointed to its council.
He is to attend a meeting of the council and a gathering of academics from Wednesday to Saturday, which Pope Francis is also expected to attend.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS