October 6, 2017
No.172
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) expresses its heartfelt appreciation to His Holiness Pope Francis, who sent his congratulations to President Tsai Ing-wen on the National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Pope Francis extended his warm greetings to President Tsai and the people of Taiwan through a note verbale from the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Taipei on October 5. In it, he prayed that the people of Taiwan would always promote the values of peace and solidarity, and extended his blessings.
Meanwhile, the Most Reverend Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, attended a reception held at the ROC Embassy in the Vatican on October 5 to celebrate not only the ROC National Day, but also the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the ROC. In his remarks, Archbishop Gallagher spoke highly of the spirit of friendship and bilateral cooperation between the two states.
In addition, high-ranking Holy See officials attended the 24th World Congress of the Apostleship of the Sea held between October 1 and 7 in Kaohsiung. They included: Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Myanmar’s first Roman Catholic cardinal; Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences; and Mons. Segundo Tejado Muñoz, Undersecretary of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Both Cardinal Turkson and Cardinal Bo were appointed to their current positions by Pope Francis, and this was their first visit to Taiwan.
That Pope Francis would send a congratulatory National Day message to President Tsai Ing-wen right after the visit of two such high-ranking Vatican officials underlines the importance his Holiness attaches to the Holy See’s friendship with Taiwan. The close cooperation and exchanges between the two sides have helped promote bilateral interactions and relations over the years. (E)