Vice President Chen Chien-jen was set to depart on Friday night for the Vatican. Chen, who is a devout Catholic, will act as President Tsai Ing-wen’s special envoy to attend the canonization of Mother Teresa on September 4th.
It is expected that Pope Francis will receive the vice president as well as the heads of other delegations at the venue.
During his trip, the vice president will attend a performance of the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir, inspect Taiwan’s embassy, participate in a mass presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and visit the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi.
The Holy See is Taiwan’s only European ally. There has been speculation that the Vatican is hoping to improve ties with China. But a Taiwanese foreign ministry official has said that talks between China and the Vatican are not a zero sum game.
The vice president and his delegation are scheduled to return to Taiwan next Thursday.