One of President Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) of Taipei’s five-man official delegation to attend Pope John Pope II’s funeral last week was a Vincentian priest. One of President Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) five-man official delegation to attend Pope John Pope II’s funeral last week was a Dutchman.
Father Jan van Aert of the Catholic Church and St. Anne’s Home in Tienmu received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) at 3:30pm on April 6 inviting him to join Chen for the Pope’s funeral. He could hardly believe his ears.
The ministry told van Aert that Chen’s delegation would depart for the Holy See the next day but did not say when the flight was. Unsure about what he had heard, the 70-year-old priest brought two children from St. Anne’s Home with him to attend a memorial mass for the Pope at Taipei’s Holy Family Catholic Church that evening.
The ministry called again late that night, telling van Aert to meet other members of the president’s delegation at the ministry building on Thursday at noon. Delegation members included Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山), Taipei Grand Mosque Imam Ma Shiao-chi (馬孝棋) and Father Hsing Chao-ming (幸朝明).
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/04/16/2003250658>Taipei Times
