President Ma Ying-jeou met with Pope Francis following the inaugural Mass of the new pontiff March 19 in St. Peter’s Square, the first time a leader of the ROC has spoken face to face with the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
During their meeting, Ma introduced himself and first lady Chow Mei-ching before expressing gratitude for the contributions of Francis’s Jesuit compatriot Ricardo Ferreira, who served in Taiwan for 50 years before passing away in 2006.
“Francis is warm, passionate and extremely friendly, always wearing a smile during our interaction,” the president said.
According to Ma, ties between the ROC and the Holy See are going from strength to strength. “We have entered our 71st year of friendship and share the universal values of democracy, human rights, liberty, peace and the rule of law,” he said.
“Close bilateral cooperation in charity and assisting the poor, humanitarian aid and religious affairs have also be seen.”
The president cited as an example ROC donations offered through the Holy See’s Pontifical Council to victims of an earthquake in Italy, as well as refugees at the borders of Syria and South Sudan. Other undertakings include assisting Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to prevent desertification, and helping Colombia revitalize its communities.
Ma also said the Holy See was quick to lend a hand following the September 21 earthquake in 1999 and Typhoon Morakot in August 2009.
Over the years, the president said, the Holy See dispatched several cardinals to Taiwan to participate in various events, while the stream of ROC nationals visiting the Vatican has been growing steadily.
Ma added that an agreement inked last year recognizing degrees issued by schools from both sides has taken two-way cultural and educational exchanges into a new era.
Since taking office in May 2008, the president said he has promoted cross-strait peace on the basis of no unification, no independence and no use of force, as well as the ROC Constitution and 1992 consensus.
“To date, 18 accords have been signed between Taipei and Beijing, while tensions have been effectively reduced.
“This policy tallies with notions proposed in the World Peace proclamations by the pope every January,” Ma said, adding that he hopes the ROC and Holy See can continue collaborating in other fields and further advancing bilateral ties. (JSM)
Write to Grace Kuo at mlkuo@mofa.gov.tw