Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for Taiwan following Typhoon Danas, which swept through the country earlier this month, leaving two dead and more than 700 injured, the Vatican press office said on Wednesday.
“Pope Leo XIV has been informed of the victims and damage caused by Typhoon Danas in Taiwan. He is praying for those affected and has instructed the Office of Papal Charities to provide concrete aid to the population,” Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni said.
The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Holy See said it was the first time the pope has expressed concern and sympathy for Taiwan over casualties and damage caused by a natural disaster.
Photo: AP
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said President William Lai (賴清德) has instructed the embassy to convey the government’s and people’s gratitude for the pope’s kind gesture.
“This warmth from the Holy See has traveled across the great distance between Taiwan and the Vatican, bringing the hearts of both sides closer together,” Lin wrote on Facebook. “Thank you, Pope Leo XIV, for extending a helping hand during our most difficult time and allowing us to see a glimmer of hope after the storm.”
The Holy See is Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Europe. Formal relations were established in 1942, when the Republic of China government was still based in China.
Typhoon Danas made landfall in Chiayi County’s Budai Township (布袋) on July 6, causing power outages that affected nearly 1 million households and disrupting water supply to more than 73,000 homes.
Of the estimated agricultural losses of NT$2.6 billion (US$88.4 million), NT$1 billion was in Tainan.
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