Former vice president attends Pope Emeritus Benedict’s funeral

Taipei-Former Vice President Chen Chien-jen (???) on Thursday attended the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

In his capacity as a special envoy of President Tsai Ing-wen (???), Chen paid his respects to the late Pope on behalf of Taiwan.

Chen was seated with the heads of states of Italy, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania and Togo as well as the king and queen of Belgium and the queen of Spain.

Chen offered Taiwan’s condolences to the Holy See’s Substitute for the Secretariat of State Edgar Peña Parra, Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher and Head of Protocol Joseph Murphy.

The Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassy to the Holy See said the funeral on Thursday lasted 90 minutes and was attended by around 100,000 people including dignitaries and high ranking religious officials from around the world.

The Embassy to the Holy See added that Chen interacted with many of the dignitaries, helping to boost Taiwan’s international visibility and standing.

Chen will attend the Patronal Feast of the Holy Three Kings late Thursday at the Pontifical Urban University before departing Rome at 10 p.m. local time.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel