May 18, 2016
No. 121
The Holy See has designated H.E. The Most Reverend Archbishop Joseph Chennoth, Apostolic Nuncio to Japan, to attend the inauguration of the 14th-term president and vice president of the Republic of China as its special envoy, and extend Pope Francis’s congratulations.
During his visit, from May 18 to 23, Archbishop Chennoth will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new ROC president and vice president accompanied by Msgr. Slađan Ćosić, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Apostolic Nunciature to the ROC. He will also have an audience with the new president, attend the state banquet, pay a visit to Fu Jen Catholic University, and attend mass at the Holy Family Church Taipei.
The Vatican's special envoy served as Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Apostolic Nunciature to the ROC between 1995 and 1999, and counts as a good friend who understands Taiwan well, especially the important contributions that the Catholic Church has made to the nation.
The ROC and the Holy See enjoy long-standing and well-established diplomatic relations, which are entering their 74th year this year. Cooperative exchanges between Taiwan and various Vatican committees and charitable Catholic organizations are very close. The two sides signed an Agreement on Collaboration in the Field of Higher Education and on the Recognition of Studies, Qualifications, Diplomas and Degrees in 2011, and the Sistine Chapel Choir based in Vatican City performed in Taiwan in September of 2014. Similarly, in what was an important milestone in the development of bilateral ties, the National Palace Museum and the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff collaborated on holding the exhibition Treasures from Heaven—A Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Holy See— in Taipei from February to May this year. It fully indicates the close and cordial bilateral ties between the ROC and the Holy See. (E)