Taiwan’s president writes to the Pope, shares his call to promote a culture of care

In a letter to Francis, Tsai Ing-wen writes that Taiwan has actively embraced a spirit of compassion and empathy since the start of the pandemic, sharing its successful disease management skills with other countries.


Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (pictured) sent a letter to Pope Francis in response to his message for the 54th World Day of Peace of 1 January.

In it, she expresses her support for his call to overcome differences, and share and work together to prevail over formidable challenges.

In his message entitled A culture of care as a path to peace, Pope Francis writes that COVID-19 has aggravated deeply interconnected crises and caused great suffering and hardships.

He goes on to say that he hopes that this year will allow humanity to move forward on the path of fraternity, justice and peace.

President Tsai fully agrees with the pontiff at a time when the coronavirus is breaking up families and leaving countless people in need.

In her letter, she writes that Taiwan has actively embraced a spirit of compassion and empathy since the start of the pandemic, sharing its successful disease management skills with other countries.

At the same time, she notes that her country continues to offer humanitarian assistance to those in need, through financial donations, food aid, and personal protective equipment given to countries around the world.

Tsai then agrees with Pope Francis that humanity shares the same planet and that no one should therefore be marginalised from the global public health network.

For this reason, she adds, Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organisation and its absence from the World Health Assembly since 2017 are clear obstacles to the search for peace.

Lastly, the president’s letter points out that Taiwan is continuing along its path as a country ruled by human rights. The implementation of judicial reforms and the pursuit of social justice demonstrate the commitment of the Taiwan government and people to these ideals.