Anthony Ho (賀忠義), the new ambassador to the Holy See, yesterday met with the prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to thank the Holy See for its donation following Typhoon Danas, the embassy said today in a Facebook post.
Ho met with Cardinal Krajewski on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), the Taiwanese government and all Catholics in Taiwan, the embassy said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Taiwan in Holy See's Facebook page
Pope Leo XIV instructed the Dicastery for the Service of Charity to donate US$50,000 to support disaster relief efforts following Typhoon Danas, which hit the nation earlier this month.
The donation shows the Pope’s heartfelt care and concern for Taiwan and symbolizes friendship between their two nations, Krajewski was quoted as saying.
The cardinal’s words deeply moved representatives from the Taiwanese embassy in the Holy See, it said in the post.
Krajewski invited Ho, a fellow Catholic, to join the Dicastery’s midday Angelus prayer with dozens of staff members and believers, to pray for Taiwan’s safety and smooth disaster recovery, the embassy said.
Staff from the Taiwanese embassy once again expressed their thanks to the Pope, adding that Taiwan would continue to pray for him, while they hope that the goodwill and friendship between the two nations would continue to flourish.
On July 16, the Pope was informed of the damage caused by Typhoon Danas and prayed for those affected, according to a report by Vatican News.
The donation was delivered via the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Taipei, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement yesterday to convey the nation’s gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his kind gesture.
The Holy See is one of 12 states in the world that have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan and the only one in Europe, while this gesture marks the first time the Pope, who assumed the papacy in May, has expressed concern and sympathy for Taiwan over casualties and damage caused by a natural disaster.
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