The Taiwan Ambassador to the Holy See has thanked the world for its solidarity, and Pope Francis for his spiritual closeness.
“Right after the earthquake struck, the Taiwan government immediately activated the Central Emergency Operations Center, and launched various emergency preparedness, rescue and relief efforts in conjunction with local governments,” Ambassador Matthew Lee, Taiwan’s envoy to the Holy See, told.
As the country mourns the victims and grapples with the large-scale damage of the quake, “the path of recovering from the disaster has already begun,” Lee said.
“Pope Francis’ telegram of condolences to Taiwan, along with condolences from over 100 heads of state and senior government officials all over the world, is such a tremendous encouragement not only to the Catholic community of Taiwan, but to the Taiwanese society as a whole,” he said.
Lee said that Pope Francis’s “heartfelt solidarity and spiritual closeness” at such a difficult time for Taiwan “is especially touching to the Taiwanese people.”
“On behalf of the people and Government of Taiwan, I would like to sincerely express our gratitude to Pope Francis and everyone who has shared their sentiments and condolences to Taiwan,” he said.