February 3, 2016
No. 031
Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, will lead a Holy See delegation to Taiwan from February 3 to 6. The other delegation members are from the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff: Rev. Pavel Benedik, Rev. Nestor Jr. Bandalan, and Rev. Alessio D’Aniello.
At the behest of the Vatican, the delegation will attend the opening ceremony of the exhibition Treasures from Heaven—A Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Holy See, held jointly with the National Palace Museum. The members will call on President Ma Ying-jeou and attend a luncheon hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin. They will also tour the National Palace Museum and attend mass at a local Catholic church.
Archbishop Marini previously served as Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations for 20 years. The Vatican, by appointing him to help launch the exhibition, underscores the importance that it attaches to the event.
Running from February 5 to May 2, the joint exhibition will feature sixty sets of cultural objects on loan from the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, making it the largest exhibition to ever be held outside the Holy See. It will also be the first religious and cultural event held by the ROC and the Holy See since the pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir performed for the first time in Taiwan in September 2014. This development highlights the deepening of bilateral relations and exchanges between the two sides. (E)