Vatican City: Taiwan’s former Vice President Chen Chien-jen expressed optimism that President Lai Ching-te will be invited to attend the inauguration of the new pope. This anticipation follows Chen’s attendance at the funeral of the late Pope Francis as Lai’s envoy.
According to Focus Taiwan, Pope Francis’ funeral was held in front of St Peter’s Basilica, attracting an estimated 250,000 attendees over three days. The late pope passed away on April 21 at 88 years old. The funeral was attended by 163 delegations, including 12 reigning monarchs, 42 heads of state, six deputy heads of state, and representatives from nine United Nations organizations.
Chen shared with CNA that he arrived early at the funeral and engaged in a brief conversation with former U.S. President Joe Biden. During Biden’s vice presidency, he launched the “Cancer Moonshot Initiative,” and Chen noted that Academia Sinica, where he was vice president, collaborated on this initiative. Biden encouraged Chen to continue their joint efforts.
Chen also expressed gratitude to Biden for the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, mentioning the first agreement under this initiative is set to take effect in late 2024. In addition to Biden, Chen interacted with Japan’s top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya, and delegation heads from Taiwan’s allies Paraguay and Guatemala.
Chen’s mission as Lai’s special envoy to Pope Francis’ funeral was deemed successful. He expressed hope that the late pope would continue to bless Taiwan’s diplomatic relations with the Vatican and that President Lai could attend the future papal inauguration.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated Chen’s appointment resulted from discussions with the Holy See. Deputy Foreign Minister Fran§ois Wu described Chen as the optimal choice given his personal ties with the late pope, having met him six times and being an academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Wu emphasized the significance of Taiwan’s presence at the funeral, highlighting it as a rare international occasion that demonstrates Taiwan’s global engagement. Chen was seated next to Thailand’s representative, as delegations were arranged alphabetically in French, the official diplomatic language.
