The Vatican Embassy in Taiwan and Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the ROC and Holy See Oct. 20, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A special Mass will be celebrated at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Taipei City, to be followed by a tea party, the MOFA said Oct. 18.
The ministry noted that friendly ties have developed in a stable manner since 1942, when Sie Cheou-kang, ROC charge d’affaires in Switzerland, assumed the post of first ROC ambassador to the Vatican.
A steady stream of CRBC delegates and Catholic lay followers from Taiwan have visited the Vatican on pilgrimages, while exchanges of visits by high-level officials have been close and frequent, the ministry said.
The Vatican has held several international conferences in Taiwan in recent years, and in August 2009 Pope Benedict the XVI donated US$50,000 on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church to provide relief to victims of Typhoon Morakot, the MOFA pointed out.
The pope also sent a special envoy to Taiwan in November that year to host events marking the 150th anniversary of Catholic missionary work in the country.
Taiwan has been a faithful partner in the Vatican’s international humanitarian assistance efforts, in response to calls to action by the pope, the ministry said.
The ROC will continue working to deepen religious, academic and cultural exchanges with the Holy See, while maintaining close ties with the international community in providing humanitarian aid wherever it is needed, the MOFA stressed. (THN)