Taiwan envoy prayed for president to be able to attend new pope's inauguration

27/4/2025 12:23

Taiwan's envoy to the funeral of Pope Francis said he prayed for President Lai Ching-te to be able to attend the inauguration of the new pontiff, and that he had met Japan's foreign minister, easing the island's diplomatic isolation.



The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to maintain formal ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, whose government had hoped that Lai would have been able to attend Francis' funeral, giving him the chance to mix with other world leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump.



However, former Vice President Chen Chien-jen ended up representing Lai, a devout Catholic who had previously met Francis on six occasions.



Francis had led an wide-ranging outreach to officially atheist China, including signing a deal on the appointment of Catholic bishops in that country, worrying Taiwan.