Vice President Chen visits ROC Embassy at the Vatican
A delegation led by Vice President Chen Chien-jen arrived at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport on the morning of October 12 local time (the afternoon of October 12 Taipei time) to attend the canonization of Pope Paul VI. When the vice president and his wife deplaned, they were immediately met by a courtesy shuttle that whisked them to the airport's state protocol lounge, where they were greeted by ROC Ambassador to the Holy See Matthew S.M. Lee (李世明).
After a brief rest, Vice President and Mrs. Chen and their delegation headed over to the ROC Embassy to the Holy See where Ambassador Lee briefed them about their itinerary. The vice president then offered a few words of encouragement to the embassy staff, and conveyed greetings and thanks from President Tsai Ing-wen.
In remarks, the vice president said he was honored that the president had appointed him to lead the delegation. The first item on his itinerary after arriving was a visit to the ROC Embassy to the Holy See. Besides conveying the president's greetings and praise to the embassy staff, he said, his most important objective was to show the Vatican how much the people of Taiwan value and support our friendly diplomatic ties.
Vice President Chen pointed out that diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Vatican date back 76 years, and have grown stronger over time, with many close exchanges and in-depth interaction in recent years. Over just the next month or so, he said, there will be many exchanges and visits: The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Fo Guang Shan Monastery, for example, will jointly hold an international conference in Kaohsiung. The former Vatican ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva will participate in the Global Health Forum in Taiwan. The director of the pope's worldwide prayer network, the Apostleship of Prayer, officials from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and the secretary-general of the International Christian Maritime Association will also visit Taiwan.
The vice president further noted that Taiwanese restoration personnel selected by the Ministry of Culture are currently studying in the Vatican Museums, and that Dr. Rey-Sheng Her (何日生), Director of Humanity Development of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, and Professor Li Jih-Heng (李志恒) of Kaohsiung Medical University will both go to the Holy See to attend conferences. These activities all show that Taiwan-Vatican relations are extremely close.
Vice President Chen said that Taiwan cherishes its deep and abiding decades-long diplomatic relationship with the Vatican, and that such close ties surely cannot be swayed by any single incident or external factor. On September 25, the pope personally emphasized that following the signing of the provisional agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops, the pope will ultimately appoint bishops in China in the future. The whole flock should return to the same good shepherd, which is the pope. The whole flock should return to the fold, under the jurisdiction of the Holy See. We trust, said the vice president, that this gradual convergence will bring the Catholic Church in mainland China into greater harmony with the Universal Church. And we pray that this is China's first step toward freedom of religion. But in any case, these arrangements do not involve diplomacy, and will not affect the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Vatican.
Vice President Chen also thanked Pope Francis for sending a congratulatory message on the ROC's National Day, which was celebrated a few days earlier. The pope's message congratulated the president and people of Taiwan, and prayed that the Taiwanese people will continue to work with the Vatican to promote values like peace, justice, and unity. The vice president stated that the pope is well aware that when it comes to universal values, Taiwan and the Vatican are of one mind. He also expressed hope that our embassy staff will persevere, and continue to deepen substantive bilateral exchanges promoting universal values like religious freedom, democracy, and human rights, further strengthening relations with the Vatican.
The vice president also mentioned that there have been drastic changes in the international political and economic situation, and public opinion is subject to much fabricated "news" and misinformation. So in addition to their diplomatic duties and assisting ROC citizens abroad, he said, many embassy staff also bear the burden of dealing with emergency situations and disinformation, which has a significant impact on morale.
Vice President Chen also offered praise and encouragement to Ambassador Lee and the embassy staff, saying that their efforts on the front lines resonate with citizens back home, who appreciate their hard work. He expressed confidence that as long as they man their posts and keep up the fight, the government and people of Taiwan will back them all the way. "I hope you will all continue to forge ahead, and continue to fight for Taiwan on the diplomatic front to give Taiwan more space for international participation."
Following the vice president's remarks, Ambassador Lee replied to questions from the media. Asked how the recent Vatican-China provisional agreement will impact Taiwan-Vatican diplomatic ties, Ambassador Lee said that after the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops was signed, the biggest source of pressure on diplomacy has actually been the media. News releases issued by the Holy See clearly state that the agreement is "only to attain the Church's specific spiritual and pastoral aims, namely, to support and advance the preaching of the Gospel." Another important point is that the agreement is provisional. Our diplomatic relationship with the Vatican is as stable as ever, he said, citing the many activities scheduled in the next month alone that the vice president mentioned. The first-ever talks between Buddhist and Catholic nuns will also be held in Taiwan, which is especially significant.
Vice President and Mrs. Chen then visited the Taipei Representative Office in Italy, and thanked all the staff stationed there for their many years of dedication and hard work. ROC Representative to Italy Lee Sing-Ying (李新穎) personally delivered a briefing to the vice president.