Taiwan vice president to visit Vatican during synod meeting

Taipei (dpa) - Taiwan‘s Vice President Chen Chien-jen will attend a ceremony at the Vatican for the canonization of Pope Paul VI on October 14, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.Chen‘s visit aims to secure Taiwan‘s 76-year-old diplomatic relations with the Holy See, deputy foreign minister Kelly Hsieh said in Taipei.The delegation, led by Chen, will include Chen‘s wife and several Taiwanese diplomats, including Hsieh. They will depart for the Vatican on October 11 and return to Taipei on October 16.The canonization ceremony will be part of the Vatican summit known as a synod, which takes place October 3-28. Two Chinese bishops will also attend the synod for the first time, after the Vatican and China signed a landmark deal following long-running negotiations on the appointment of bishops.Hsieh said that the Vatican has confirmed it would continue to maintain relations with Taiwan and its Catholic minority.In May, a delegation of bishops from Taiwan met with Pope Francis during their visit to the Holy See. Taiwan has had its own government since 1949, when Chinese nationalists fled there after losing a civil war to communists in China. Beijing considers the self-ruled democracy part of its territory.The politically isolated nation only has 17 formal allies, including the Holy See.