President Lai pays respects at Taipei memorial for Pope Francis

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Wednesday paid his respects to Pope Francis in Taipei but did not respond to questions about whether he would attend the late pope's funeral at the Vatican later this week.

Lai paid his respects to Pope Francis during a visit to the Catholic Archdiocese of Taipei by offering incense, sprinkling holy water, presenting flowers, fruit and a ceremonial cup, before taking three bows.

The president was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu (吳志中) and Archbishop of Taipei Thomas Chung (鍾安住).

Following Pope Francis' death on Monday, Lai offered his condolences via social media, noting "we will continue to draw inspiration from [Francis'] lifelong commitment to peace, global solidarity, and caring for those in need."

Pope Francis died of a stroke and subsequent heart failure at his residence at the age of 88, according to the Vatican.

On Wednesday, Lai did not respond to media questions on whether he would attend the pope's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on April 26 (local time) in person.

Wu, however, told reporters that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was "still in talks" with the Vatican on the matters.

"We are doing our utmost," Wu said of efforts to arrange for a visit to Vatican City by the president, but he acknowledged that the Holy See might have "certain concerns" and declined to elaborate on that.

The Vatican is one of 12 states in the world to have formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) and the only one in Europe.

Past Taiwanese presidents have joined other world leaders in taking part in key papal events, including former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at the inauguration of Pope Francis in 2013.

Ma's predecessor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) also attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

The Holy See and China do not have diplomatic relations, but the two sides signed a historic agreement on the appointment of bishops in China in 2018.

While the Vatican said at the time that the deal was not political, some Western media outlets reported it as a sign of warming ties between the two.

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