Pope Francis on Thursday met with a group from Taiwan’s United Association of Humanistic Buddhism, Chunghua, calling the visit a privileged occasion that made the encounter between different religious cultures possible.
The association led a delegation of more than 100 people to the Vatican under the invitation of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the Taiwanese embassy to the Holy See said.
The visit is to “promote interreligious exchange and communication in the post-pandemic era,” it added.
Photo courtesy of the Embassy to the Holy See
The group met with Pope Francis to pray for people around the world to resolve international conflicts and “cast light into the darkness,” the embassy said.
Buddhist master Hsin Bao (心保) of the Fo Guang Shan (佛光山) monastery presented two portraits of the pope created by Taiwanese children as gifts, it said.
The paintings symbolize the pope’s great love for the world and the blessings from Taiwan, Hsin Bao said, adding that the trip aims to promote tolerance and harmony between Eastern and Western religions, the embassy said.
The pope said the portraits were impressive, and expressed his hope to promote cross-cultural dialogue and world peace through religious exchanges, it said.
At a time marked by “a continued acceleration of changes affecting humanity and the planet,” religions are needed more than ever to foster fraternity by promoting cultural encounters, Vatican News cited the Pope as saying.
“An interreligious educational pilgrimage can be a source of great enrichment, offering multiple opportunities for us to encounter one another, to learn from one another and to appreciate our various experiences,” the pope was quoted as saying.
After meeting Francis, the delegation attended the “Five Loaves and Two Fishes” art exhibition at the embassy to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his pontification.
The embassy on Tuesday hosted an opening ceremony for the exhibition, which features 27 sculptures by Taiwanese artist Tseng Ying-tung (曾英棟).
Inspired by the “miracle of the five loaves and two fishes” in the Gospel of John, the exhibition echoes Pope Francis’ third encyclical letter, Fratelli tutti (“All brothers”), Ambassador to the Holy See Matthew Lee (李世明) said.
The exhibition shows Taiwan to the world as a force for good, he said, adding that the nation enjoys cooperating with the Holy See in promoting world peace, democracy, human rights, humanitarian assistance and environmental protection.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday sent a message to the pope to wish him “good health, resilience and success as you continue to promote human dignity, fundamental rights, democracy and freedom across the world.”
“Together on the path of fraternity, justice and peace, Taiwan and the Holy See have been working to address significant challenges to help those most in need,” the president said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS