President Ma Ying-jeou, leading a delegation from the ROC to the Vatican on a trip codenamed Project Celebration Friendship, departed from Taoyuan International Airport at 11:30 p.m. on March 17 Taipei time. On the chartered aircraft taking the delegation to Leonardo da Vinci international airport in Rome, the president delivered remarks over the aircraft's public address system.
President Ma stated that his leading of a congratulatory delegation from the ROC to the Vatican to attend the inauguration of a new pope marks a new development in the bilateral relationship between the ROC and the Vatican, which he said he is extremely excited about. The president remarked that in the five-plus years since he took office, he has now attended inauguration ceremonies for the heads of state of five diplomatic allies: the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Paraguay, the Republic of El Salvador, the Republic of Panama, and the Republic of Honduras. All of those nations are in Latin America, while this marks the first time he has visited Europe since becoming president, he noted. In particular, the Vatican is the ROC's only diplomatic ally in Europe and the bilateral alliance dates back fully 71 years, making this trip especially meaningful, he said.
President Ma mentioned that the Vatican this time specially indicated that there will be no restrictions placed on how long he can stay at the Vatican or in Italy. The president stated that he will be unable to stay for too long due to commitments he has back in Taiwan. Nonetheless, he expressed his deepest appreciation to the Vatican for the goodwill that it has shown in this regard.
With respect to relations between the two countries, President Ma commented, since taking office he has actively pursued a policy of "viable diplomacy." In addition to striving to solidify the alliances between the ROC and its diplomatic partners, the nation has also aimed to boost its substantive ties to countries with which it does not maintain diplomatic ties, he said. In discussing the relationship with the Vatican, the president noted that over the past six years the Vatican has dispatched several cardinals to Taiwan, including five to attend the 2009 Spiritual Exercise for the Leaders of the Church's Charitable Organization in Asia, and another who came in that same year for the 150th anniversary of the Catholic church's evangelization in Taiwan. In addition, the two sides have signed an agreement for the mutual recognition of academic degrees. In particular, the president explained, the ROC government, by allowing seminaries in the ROC to provide training to clergy from mainland China, has encouraged Catholic churches in Taiwan to serve as a bridge between churches in mainland China and their counterparts in the rest of the world. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has specially provided scholarships to the Vatican that enable clergy from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China to receive training at the Vatican. All of these things have been important developments in relations between the two countries, he stated.
President Ma noted that Pope Francis was originally a cardinal from Argentina, and is no stranger to Taiwan because the Argentinean priest Ricardo Ferreira served in Taiwan for 50 years before passing away seven years ago due to an illness. Pope Francis is quite familiar with the accomplishments of Father Ferreira, as both are Jesuits. In addition, in the latter part of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the noted priest Matteo Ricci was also a Jesuit and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission. The president remarked that he was going to see Pope Francis the next day, and at that time would point out the longstanding ties between the ROC and the Vatican, along with the history between the Argentine Catholic Church and the ROC.
The president also mentioned that due to rushed preparations for this trip, along with the need to maintain confidentiality and accommodate the needs of the local news media, arrangements may not have been ideal. And the added complication of time differences increased the difficulty of communications. He thanked the press corps for making the trip, and apologized for any inconveniences. The president stressed that in the future the media liaison personnel at the Office of the President will do their utmost to make the activities of the president as transparent as possible and provide ample information.