President and Mrs. Ma meet with Pope Francis inside the St. Peter’s Basilica .
ROC President Ma Ying-jeou, who arrived in Rome in the morning of March 18 together with First Lady Chow Mei-ching, was leading the Special Mission which was scheduled to attend the Solemn Inauguration Mass of the Ministry of the New Pope on March 19, 2013. The other members of the delegation were Mr. Jason C. Yuan, Secretary General of the National Security Council, Ms. Vanessa Yea-Ping Shih, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Prof. Dr. Vincent Han-Sun Chiang, President of Fu-Jen Catholic University.
Upon his arrival, President Ma was welcomed by two representatives of the Vatican’s protocol office and by ROC Ambassador to the Holy See H.E. and Mrs. Larry Yu-yuan Wang. Early in the afternoon, Ambassador and Mrs. Wang accompanied the President and his delegation to tour the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, where they were truly impressed by the art treasures of two of the most famous cultural and religious institutions of the Holy See, before paying a visit to the Taipei Representative Office in Italy. In the evening, they all attended a dinner at their hotel in the presence of members of the ROC clergy and some overseas compatriots residing in Italy. Ambassador Wang introduced President Ma to the guests before inviting him to take the floor. In his address to the people gathered there for this special occasion, President Ma reminded them that the ROC has enjoyed formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican for 71 years. In addition to sharing universal values such as religious freedom, human rights, democracy, and peace, the two sides have actively collaborated on a number of humanitarian aid projects and shared efforts in order to promote charitable activities. The president expressed his hope that this trip will further strengthen relations between Taiwan and the Holy See, so that cooperation activities between the two can move forward on a number of fronts.
In the morning of March 19, the Special Mission attended the Holy Father’s installation Mass in St. Peter’s Square surrounded by faithful and pilgrims coming from every corner of the world to witness this historic moment. The ceremony lasted two hours. Soon after the Inauguration Mass, Pope Francis met with the heads of state and their spouses or their special envoys from over 130 countries around the world inside the St. Peter’s Basilica.
In the afternoon, President Ma visited the Embassy to the Holy See, where he was welcomed by Ambassador and Mrs. Wang. During the press conference held inside the Chancery, where he explained to the media what has been achieved on this trip. In remarks, the president commented that he arrived at the square at about 8:30 a.m. Prior to the formal commencement of the ceremonies, the president interacted with the heads of states and special envoys of many nations, some of which are our diplomatic allies, and some not. President Ma said that he saw old friends and also made new ones, and that his encounters with the other leaders occurred quite naturally and by chance. The president stated that he did not have any specific plans on who he would meet before attending the event. "I just went with the flow, and didn't make any particular effort to see this or that person," he said. President Ma remarked that the mass was held at 9:30 a.m. under clear blue skies. After the conclusion of the proceedings at 11:30 a.m., Pope Francis began receiving heads of state and their spouses. President and Mrs. Ma met with Pope Francis at about 11:55 a.m. and the two conversed for about one minute. Pope Francis is generally said to be conversant in Italian, Spanish, and German, and while some thought that the pope may also be able to speak English, no one could confirm this detail ahead of time, so the president prepared a congratulatory message in Spanish. After he finished delivering the Spanish greetings, however, he asked Pope Francis whether he could speak English and the pope responded that he could. President Ma then repeated the congratulatory message in English. President Ma stated that he introduced himself to the pope and explained that he and his wife made this trip to congratulate the pope on his inauguration. The president also pointed out the contributions to Taiwan made by members of the clergy from Argentina. President Ma also mentioned that the pope was even more enthusiastic and spirited than he had expected, adding that the pope maintained a smile the entire time that the two interacted. He said that he felt the pope to be extremely gracious during their conversation. The president stated that about 31 heads of state attended the inauguration ceremonies for the pope. Together with deputy heads of state, premiers, and other envoys, over 130 countries were represented at the event. As the representatives were seated in alphabetical order based on the English names of their countries, representatives from Chile and Costa Rica sat on either end of President and Mrs. Ma, he said. President Ma praised ROC Ambassador to the Holy See Larry Yu-yuan Wang for his efforts over the years in promoting bilateral relations. He also expressed his belief that improved cross-strait relations help to create a virtuous cycle with respect to the ROC's relations with the international community. For instance, he noted, the Vatican places great importance on humanitarianism, charitable activities, and alleviating poverty. Mainland China, he said, also regularly engages in such work. If the ROC continues to promote work in this direction, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can help each other in the international community and provide mutual support. He expressed his confidence that this will have positive meaning for cross-strait relations and the international community.
In the evening, President Ma and his consort spent time over dinner with the Embassy staff and the members of the Taipei Representative Office in Rome before heading to the Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport where the Special Mission departed at 22.30pm. Although President Ma was unable to stay for too long in Rome due to commitments he had back in Taiwan, he expressed his deepest appreciation to the Vatican for the goodwill shown toward him and the People of Taiwan.
