Vatican official making rare trip to Taiwan for Buddhist charity celebrations

A Vatican official is making a rare trip to Taiwan this week for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Buddhist charity the Tzu Chi Foundation, at a time when the Holy See is working to improve ties with China.

The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, and the only one in Europe, though it does not station an ambassador in Taipei.

Tzu Chi and Taiwan's foreign ministry said that Cardinal Peter Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, was in Taipei this week for the charity's anniversary events.

"Taiwan and the Vatican share universal values including religious freedom, human rights, peace, and fraternity," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding it welcomes and supports international religious exchanges and cooperation.

Tzu Chi said Turkson took part in a Sunday morning anniversary event in the eastern county of Hualien, where the charity is headquartered.

The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment.

Another Vatican official, Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, under-secretary of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, visited Taiwan last year to attend a conference and meet members of its different faiths.

But despite their formal ties, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te neither attended Pope Francis' funeral last year nor the inauguration of Pope Leo at the Vatican.

On Sunday night, thousands of Tzu Chi volunteers and staff took part in the main celebration at Taipei's Liberty Square, attended by Lai and also the de facto U.S. ambassador in Taiwan, Raymond Greene.

Tzu Chi works around the world, especially in disaster zones, and while it is a Buddhist organisation it works across faiths.

-Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Joshua McElwee at the Vatican; Editing by Stephen Coates/Reuters