French priest gains Taiwan citizenship, wants to be buried in Yuli

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/10
By: Li Hsien-feng and William Yen

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) A French Catholic priest was granted Taiwanese citizenship Sunday without having to give up citizenship in his home country and said he would like to be buried in the Hualien township of Yuli, where he has been serving for most of his 58 years in Taiwan.

Father Maurice Poinsot (潘世光), 85, was presented with a Taiwan national identity card, household registration certificate, and permanent residency card, at a ceremony at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Yuli Township, Hualien County.

The documents were presented by Hsiao Ming-chia (蕭明甲), head of the Hualien County Government Civil Affairs Department, who also tried to make the occasion a celebration of the priest’s birthday, which falls on Sept. 12.

“Getting old is no good,” Poinsot said. “There’s no need to celebrate because today is not my birthday.”    [FULL  STORY]