The Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Cardinal Peter Turkson, attended the 60th-anniversary celebrations of the Buddhist charity Tzu Chi (慈濟) on Sunday, May 10. The rare visit of a senior Vatican official to Taiwan was reported by Reuters on Monday.

The Vatican is one of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies and its only one in Europe. Despite that, the Vatican does not have an ambassador stationed in Taipei, and official exchanges remain infrequent. In recent years, the Holy See has also made attempts to improve relations with Beijing.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry says it welcomes and supports international religious exchanges and cooperation, and that Taiwan and the Vatican share universal values such as religious freedom, human rights, peace and universal love.