Pope Leo XIV offers prayers for Taiwan over Typhoon Danas casualties, damage

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for Taiwan following Typhoon Danas, which swept through the country earlier this month, leaving two dead and over 700 injured, the Vatican's press office said Wednesday.

"Pope Leo XIV has been informed of the victims and damage caused by Typhoon Danas in Taiwan. He is praying for those affected and has instructed the Office of Papal Charities to provide concrete aid to the population," said Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office.

The Office of Papal Charities is the Holy See's organization responsible for providing aid to the poor on behalf of the Pope, both in Italy and abroad.

According to the Republic of China (Taiwan) embassy to the Holy See, this is the first time the pope, who assumed the papacy in May, has expressed concern and sympathy for Taiwan over casualties and damage caused by a natural disaster.

In response, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has instructed Taiwan's embassy in the Vatican to convey the government's and people's gratitude for the Pope's kind gesture.

"This warmth from the Holy See has traveled across the great distance between Taiwan and the Vatican, bringing the hearts of both sides closer together," Lin said in a Facebook post.

"Thank you, Pope Leo XIV, for extending a helping hand during our most difficult time and allowing us to see a glimmer of hope after the storm," he added.

The Holy See is the Republic of China's (Taiwan) only diplomatic ally in Europe. Formal relations were established in 1942, when the ROC government was still based on the Chinese mainland.

Typhoon Danas made landfall in Budai Township, Chiayi County, on July 6 before weakening to a tropical storm early on July 7. It caused power outages affecting nearly 1 million households and disrupted water supply to over 73,000 homes across Taiwan.

Of the estimated NT$2.6 billion (US$88.60 million) in agricultural losses, NT$1 billion was reported in Tainan.