Taiwan's ambassador to Holy See presents Letter of Credence

Vatican City, July 3 (CNA) Anthony Ho (賀忠義), the new ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Holy See, presented his Letter of Credence to Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, officially beginning his tenure.

Ho succeeded Matthew Lee (李世明), who retired as Taiwan's ambassador to the Holy See and left the Vatican in May.

Speaking with CNA, Ho said that when he presented the Letter of Credence, he expressed sincere greetings to the pope on behalf of President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).

He said that as a Catholic, he also sent the prayers of Taiwan's Catholics to the new pope during their meeting.

Ho told Pope Leo XIV that Taiwan supports freedom of religion and has always extended a helping hand when natural disasters, health risks and military conflicts hit the rest of the world.

At the height of COVID-19 in 2020, for example, Ho said then Pingtung County Magistrate Pan Men-an (潘孟安), who currently is Presidential Office secretary-general, donated intubation equipment designed by three Taiwanese physicians to Peru to protect medical staff treating COVID-19 patients.

As the pope, who was then Bishop of Chiclayo, was the person who received the gift from Pan, Ho said the encounter created a close link between the Pope and Taiwan.

The pope nodded to Ho, saying he was very impressed by Taiwan's donation and kindness, in particular as COVID-19 had a negative effect on global health.

The pope also expressed his gratitude to the assistance of Taiwan's government and people to Catholic churches and said he will pray for peace in Taiwan, according to Ho.

Taiwan's new ambassador to the Holy See said Taiwan will continue to strengthen cooperation with the Vatican in pushing for humanitarian aid and creating the opportunity for more people to know "Deus caritas est," or God is love.

The Holy See is the only formal diplomatic ally of Taiwan in Europe. Formal diplomatic ties were established in 1942 when the ROC government was still based in mainland China.

In 2018, Beijing and the Vatican struck a historic deal to work together on appointing Chinese bishops, which was extended for a third time in late 2024.

Tensions in the relationship have developed since then after Beijing contravened the agreement by unilaterally making the appointments.