TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) Sunday attended the inauguration ceremony of Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV and met the new pontiff.

Delegations from more than 150 countries attended the inauguration. Chen, representing President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) as his special envoy, was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu (吳志中), per CNA. 

Chen said the ceremony began at 10 a.m., and he arrived at 8:30 a.m., giving him ample time to interact with guests. He met with representatives from 35 countries and said they had cordial conversations.

In a rare opportunity for a Taiwanese official to engage with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chen introduced himself, and she immediately praised Taiwan’s high-tech industry. He highlighted TSMC’s plans to set up a facility in Europe and hopes for deeper tech cooperation with the EU, to which von der Leyen said the EU greatly welcomes such collaboration.

Chen also met Germany’s newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz, marking Merz’s first interaction with a Taiwanese official. According to Chen, as soon as he said he was from Taiwan, Merz first mentioned TSMC. 

Merz said, “TSMC’s decision to set up a plant in Germany was the right place at the right time. He added, ”Germany hopes to deepen cooperation with Taiwan in the semiconductor sector.”

Chen also spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the event. Upon seeing Chen, Rubio warmly greeted him, saying, “I'm glad to see Taiwan came," and expressed support for more US-Taiwan engagement.

Chen also spoke with Japan’s special envoy, former Prime Minister Aso Taro. Aso said, “I really want to visit Taiwan again, and I have many good friends in Taiwan.”

After the mass, Chen was received by Pope Leo XIV and presented him with three gifts. The first was a congratulatory letter from Lai, expressing hopes for ever-stronger Taiwan-Vatican relations, and Chen said the pope was pleased to receive it.

The second gift was a photo commemorating the time when Pope Leo XIV, while serving as a bishop in Peru, received 2,000 sets of intubation protective equipment donated by Taiwan. Chen said that when he showed the photo to the pope, he recalled the moment, saying, “Yeah, I was there," and was visibly moved and appreciative of Taiwan’s humanitarian efforts.

The third gift was a commemorative stamp booklet featuring churches issued by Taiwan Post. Chen introduced the Pope to the Wanchin Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Pingtung County and the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Kaohsiung, describing them as beautiful places. 

Chen added that Taiwan’s Catholics are eager for the pope to visit and meet his flock. “The pope nodded in response,” Chen said.

Reflecting on his first interaction with Pope Leo XIV, Chen said he initially thought the pope might be reserved, but found him friendly and approachable. Chen expressed confidence that Taiwan and the Vatican will continue to work together on humanitarian aid and promoting peace and prosperity.