The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday on behalf of the government and the public expressed sincere thanks to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity for a US$50,000 donation in support of disaster relief efforts following Typhoon Danas, which hit southern Taiwan earlier this month.
The ministry’s statement came after bishops in Taiwan on Tuesday expressed their deep gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for supporting the donation to aid Taiwan’s disaster relief efforts.
The donation was made by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity and delivered to Taiwan via the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Taipei, according to a Facebook post on Tuesday by the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference (CRBC).
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Also known as the Office of the Papal Almoner, the Dicastery for the Service of Charity is the Holy See’s organization responsible for providing aid to poor people on behalf of the pope, both in Italy and around the world.
CRBC president John Lee (李克勉) and the bishops of Chiayi and Tainan — two regions hit hard by Typhoon Danas — expressed their gratitude for the donation, the Facebook post said.
After the typhoon made landfall in Chiayi County on July 6 and caused widespread damage in the area, Pope Leo XIV was informed of the victims and damage caused by the typhoon and prayed for those affected, according to a July 16 report by Vatican News.
The pope also asked the Office of the Papal Almoner to provide concrete help to Taiwanese affected, the report said, citing Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office.
In a July 17 Facebook post sharing Bruni’s remarks, the Republic of China embassy to the Holy See said that it was the first time the pope, who assumed the papacy in May, had expressed concern and sympathy for Taiwan over casualties and damage caused by a natural disaster.
At the time, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said President William Lai (賴清德) had instructed Taiwan’s embassy in the Vatican to convey the government’s and people’s gratitude for the pope’s kind gesture.
The ministry said it hopes Taiwan and the Holy See can continue to deepen cooperation in humanitarian care and enhance their long-term friendship based on common ideals.
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