The China Post
Date: September 4, 2016
By: CNA
TAIPEI — Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) has departed on a trip to the Vatican to attend the
Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) greets a foreign diplomat at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night. During his Vatican trip, which will last until Sept. 8, Chen will attend the canonization ceremony of Mother Teresa, serving as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) special envoy. (CNA)
canonization ceremony of Mother Teresa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.
On the visit that will last until Sept. 8, Chen will serve as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) special envoy to the ceremony on Sept. 4, at which Pope Francis will declare Blessed Teresa of Kolkata a saint.
In a statement released Friday, the MOFA described as “significant” the visit by Chen, a devout Christian and a member of two Roman Catholic orders — the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
The statement said the Republic of China shares the values of religious freedom, democracy and human rights and support for humanitarian relief with the Vatican. During his stay, Chen will act to boost the interactions and friendship between the two countries, it said.
The Vatican is the only country in Europe that maintains formal ties with the ROC.
The relationship was established in July 1942. One year later, the ROC set up a legation in Rome, which was upgraded to an embassy in June 1959, according to MOFA data. [FULL STORY]
