中華民國外交部

Pope's Special Envoy Jozef Cardinal Tomko to Visit Taiwan

On the occasion of 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Evangelization of Taiwan, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI appointed Jozef Cardinal Tomko, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as Special Envoy to visit Taiwan for the third time, from November 18 to 25, 2009.
During his visit, Jozef Cardinal Tomko will have an audience with President Ma Ying-jeou and meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy C.T. Yang. In addition, Cardinal Tomko will visit the Catholic dioceses in Hualien, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taichung on behalf of His Holiness the Pope and call on other clergy members in Taiwan. Accompanied on his mission by Auxiliary Bishop John Baptist Tseng Chien-tsi of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hualien and Father Rubén Martínez, well-known for his long term missionary work in Taiwan, Cardinal Tomko will host the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Evangelization of Taiwan (1859-2009): A Ceremony of Witnessing and Thanksgiving. This event, organized by the Chinese Regional Bishop’s Conference, will be held at the National Taiwan Sport University’s stadium on November 21.
Cardinal Tomko has been a longstanding friend of Taiwan. From 1985 to 2001, he served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for a total of 16 years. On behalf of Pope John Paul II, Caridinal Tomko visited Taiwan in February 1988 to have an audience with former President Lee Tung-Hui and to attend the Symposium on Evangelization held at Fu Jen Catholic University where he was conferred the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa. In September 1994, Cardinal Tomko visited Taiwan for the second time to participate in the Chinese Regional Bishop’s Conference for the 700th anniversary of the arrival of Franciscan Giovanni Cardinal da Montecorvino.
The ties between Taiwan and the Holy See have been strengthened in recent years. During the devastation of Typhoon Morakot, Pope Benedict XVI extended his deepest condolences to the people of Taiwan and made donations. Furthermore, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum hosted in Taiwan the “Spiritual Exercise for the Leaders of the Church’s Charitable Organization in Asia 2009”. Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, led four other cardinals and more than 60 archbishops from Asia to take part in this event in September.
The Pope’s appointment of Cardinal Tomko as his Special Envoy to preside over conference for the 150th anniversary of the Catholic Church’s evangelization in Taiwan bears testimony to the solid friendship between Taiwan and the Holy See. Taiwan will continue to support the message of Pope Benedict XVI on the World Day of Peace and the calling of “agape”. Taiwan is also committed to work with the Holy See in order to spread human rights, freedom and peace throughout the world. (E)