The government yesterday mourned the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, saying that the late pontiff “will be remembered for his humility and caring for all humanity.”
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has designated former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to travel to the Vatican to pay respects on behalf of Taiwan before the funeral, to be held on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The Vatican said that only official delegations from Italy and the former pope’s native Germany would attend the funeral, although a Rome security official said that at least 60,000 people are expected to visit St Peter’s Basilica on the day of the funeral.
Photo: AP
Benedict died on Saturday at the age of 95 in the Vatican monastery where he lived since retiring in 2013, the Vatican said.
He was the first pope in almost 600 years to resign rather than serve for life.
Pope Francis, who succeeded Benedict, is to preside over the late pontiff’s funeral Mass in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican said.
The foreign affairs ministry said that during Benedict’s papacy, Taiwan and the Vatican had cordial ties, and that he would be remembered for his “humility and caring for all humanity.”
Based on shared common values, the nation and the Holy See are to continue promoting closer humanitarian cooperation, the ministry added.
The Vatican is one of 14 sovereign entities that maintain full diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
A devoted Catholic, Chen was Tsai’s deputy from 2016 to 2020.
Chen previously visited the Vatican for ceremonies in 2016, 2018 and 2019 when he was vice president. His most recent visit to the Vatican was in September last year to attend the beatification ceremony of former pope John Paul I.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS