Pope Leo XIV succeeded Pope Francis in Might 2025, changing into the 267th Pontiff of the worldwide Catholic Church. In line with tutorial and media analyses, Pope Leo XIV’s diplomatic technique continues Pope Francis’ method of “engagement” and “openness,” putting a selected emphasis on “peace” and the “de-escalation of potential armed conflicts.”
For Taiwan, probably the most carefully watched diplomatic growth throughout Pope Francis’ tenure was the 2018 provisional settlement on appointing bishops, signed between the Holy See and the Individuals’s Republic of China (PRC). This settlement led the Chinese language authorities to formally acknowledge the Pope because the Catholic Church’s supreme spiritual chief, facilitating the joint appointment of a number of bishops by Beijing and the Vatican underneath its framework. Since taking workplace, Pope Leo XIV has not altered the Sino-Vatican settlement; as a substitute, he has accelerated the bishop-appointment course of, ushering in a “rejuvenated” roster of Chinese language bishops.
The Holy See stays the Republic of China (Taiwan)’s sole diplomatic ally in Europe. Since 2000, public discourse has steadily debated whether or not the Holy See would possibly sever formal diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of creating relations with Beijing. Pope Leo XIV’s continuation of his predecessor’s method to China implies an extra deepening of Sino-Vatican relations. Nonetheless, from Taiwan’s perspective, society shouldn’t underestimate its personal standing. In actual fact, since Pope Leo XIV assumed the papacy, the Pontiff has obtained quite a few Taiwanese organizations and people.
Moreover, Pope Leo XIV has not shied away from being photographed alongside the Taiwan nationwide flag. These gestures present that the Chicago-born Pope is pleasant towards Taiwan, understands Taiwan’s significance to the worldwide neighborhood, and acknowledges the distinct variations between Taiwan and the PRC.
When discussing Taiwan-Vatican relations, the analytical lens should not be restricted solely to the continuation of the Sino-Vatican settlement or ongoing negotiations. As an alternative, one should look at whether or not the sensible, multifaceted ties between Taiwan and the Holy See have correspondingly deepened. From Taipei’s perspective, the reply is a convincing sure.
From September 23 to 26, 2026, Chen Chien-Jen, former vice chairman of Taiwan and present president of Academia Sinica, attended the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) assembly and its biennial plenary session on the Vatican. Chen presided over the seventh session, titled “Drugs, Neuroscience, and Human Properly-being.” Following the assembly, Chen and the PAS issued a joint assertion titled “The Way forward for Science in a Altering World,” serving as an motion plan for the worldwide scientific neighborhood. By means of the Holy See’s world platform, Taiwan as soon as once more showcased its scientific prowess to the world.
Shortly after, from October 7 to fifteen, Bishop John Lee Keh-mien, president of the Chinese language Regional Bishops’ Convention in Taiwan, together with Professor Chou Te-yu and Consultor Yeh Chia-yen – members of the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Laity, Household and Life – attended a significant convention on the Vatican. Hosted by Pope Leo XIV, the occasion marked the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia. The grand-scale convention welcomed 187 invited visitors, together with 111 presidents of episcopal conferences from across the globe. Taiwan was not solely current, however Taiwanese students attended of their official capacities as members of the Vatican’s Dicastery, underscoring Taiwan’s deep engagement with the Holy See.
Moreover, on October 19, Pope Leo XIV appointed new members to the Holy See’s Worldwide Theological Fee. Sister Hu Shu-qin, an affiliate professor on the Fu Jen School of Theology of St. Robert Bellarmine, was appointed as a brand new member of the Fee for the 2026-2031 time period. Sister Hu is the primary ethnic Chinese language theologian to be appointed to the Fee since Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, S.D.B., who served from 2004 to 2014. Her long-standing dedication to theological schooling and tutorial analysis in Taiwan has deepened Taiwan’s participation in world Catholic theology, additional demonstrating the Vatican’s excessive regard for theological growth in Taiwan.
Instantly following, from October 22 to 24, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization hosted the “The Church of the Sheaves” worldwide convention in Rome. Underneath the theme “A Church for All: Synodal in Methodology, Missionary in Spirit, Credible in Love,” the occasion gathered over 100 students worldwide. Grounded within the spirit and technique of synodality, the convention emphasised mutual listening and sharing, signaling a shift within the Catholic Church’s method to evangelization from the normal mannequin of missionaries transmitting and educating, to native church buildings sharing and receiving one another’s presents to counterpoint each other.
Professor Tan Liang-chen, an assistant professor and well-known public Catholic theologian on the Fu Jen School of Theology of St. Robert Bellarmine, was chosen to attend the Rome convention. He introduced Taiwan’s voice – and the voice of the Taiwanese Catholic Church – to the West and the Vatican, sharing it with the common Church.
The connection between Taiwan and the Holy See is concretely constructed upon these small but monumental steps. Taiwan’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs has been advancing an “Built-in Diplomacy” technique, utilizing “Values,” “Alliances,” and “Commerce” to increase Taiwan’s friendships – a deeper diplomatic method more and more evident in Europe. The nice that Taiwan can deliver to the world extends past high-tech industries like semiconductors and AI; it additionally contains the colourful house for spiritual religion nurtured inside Taiwan’s free society.
The secure, deepening relationship between Taiwan and the Holy See is the fruitful results of joint efforts by Taiwanese civil society, the native Catholic Church, and the federal government. These wealthy fruits stem from the relentless academic and analysis dedication of the Fu Jen School of Theology of St. Robert Bellarmine and Fu Jen Catholic College. Extra importantly, they depend on tireless diplomats on the entrance strains in Rome and on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. Even when the highway forward is fraught with challenges, they preserve working diligently, paving bridges for the current and the longer term, which is why Taiwan-Vatican ties stay so steadfast.
Within the face of shifting Sino-Vatican dynamics, Taiwan has no purpose to fret; within the eyes of the Holy See, Taiwan stays an undeniably “valuable” presence.