A delegation led by former Vice President Chen Chien-jen (???) will depart for the Vatican late Friday to represent Taiwan at a Sept. 4 beatification ceremony for the late Pope John Paul I.

According to Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang (???), the delegation of six, which includes Chen’s staff, security detail and wife Lo Fong-ping (???), is scheduled to arrive at the Holy See on Sept. 3 for a nine-day visit.

In addition to attending the beatification ceremony, Chen will also attend a mass for peace with his wife at Saint Sophia Cathedral on Sept. 5.

The couple also plans to make official visits to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Caritas Internationalis, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to engage with the Church and affiliated organizations on issues surrounding Taiwan’s participation in international humanitarian efforts.

The visit will not be Chen’s first time representing Taiwan to the Holy See, having made three previous visits in 2016, 2018, and 2019 to attend the canonization of Mother Teresa, the canonization of Pope Paul VI, and the canonization of Cardinal John Henry Newman and four others.

Chen, the second Taiwanese to be named a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the first to be appointed to its council, will also be attending a meeting of the council and a gathering of academics from Sept. 7-10, which Pope Francis will also attend.

According to Chang, Chen’s multiple visits to the Vatican highlight the close friendship between Taiwan and the Holy See.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel