Taiwan attends diplomatic conference in Vatican City

台灣參加梵蒂岡外交會議

Holy See meets with representatives from eight countries, including Taiwan, to discuss religious freedom and human rights

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To promote the value oriented diplomacy of Vatican City, the Catholic Church's Holy See invited representatives from various countries on Thursday (Nov. 14) to exchange ideas about religious freedom and human rights.

The conference in Rome was organized by the International Association of Carita Politica, with "Diplomatic Value and Development" as the topic. In attendance were diplomatic leaders from eight countries, including Taiwan, Guatemala, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Cameroon, Hungary, Turkey, and the Czech Republic.

Representing Taiwan was Institute of Diplomatic and International Affairs (IDIA) member Qin Ri-xin (秦日新) and Ambassador to the Vatican Matthew Lee (李世明). Holy See Secretariat of State Paul Gallagher and U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Callista Gingrich were also present, reported CNA.

Qin said the Holy See is an advocate for liberty and human rights around the world, with similar values to Taiwan's government. Qin added that universal values such as environmental protection require collaboration between members of the global community.

The Holy See also asked Qin to present a 30-minute briefing about IDIA, part of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qin said that Taiwan would be happy to assist other countries in establishing their own diplomatic organizations and expressed Taiwan's openness to future collaboration opportunities with foreign governments.

Taiwan representatives Qin Ri-xin and Matthew Lee at diplomatic conference. (CNA photo)