Taiwan's Catholics Mourn Pope Francis at Funeral

From ranking former officials to aspiring theologians, Taiwan's Catholics have remembered Pope Francis at the late pontiff's funeral.

Transcript

00:00As mourners poured into St. Peter's Square for Pope Francis' funeral Saturday,

00:05Taiwan's special envoy, Chen Jianren, took his seat in the diplomatic stands,

00:09placed between Mauritius and Thailand.

00:11For Chen, Taiwan's former vice president, it's a mix of official duty and the deeply personal.

00:17Despite China's claims to Taiwan, the Vatican is one of 12 countries that still recognize Taiwan.

00:22By Chen's side was a full-fledged Taiwanese ambassador, Matthew Lee,

00:26and Chen had the chance to meet with the envoys of other countries.

00:30But beyond this moment of diplomatic clout, there's the fact that Chen is a devout Catholic.

00:35And unlike most of the over a billion Catholics worldwide,

00:39Chen actually met Francis, not once, but multiple times while still in government.

00:44Francis even recognized Chen's other achievements as a public health expert

00:48by naming him the second Taiwanese to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

00:53Chen says he hopes Taiwan's current administration will be represented at the next pope's inauguration.

00:58Taiwan was represented beyond the level of officialdom.

01:16Though they are a small minority, Taiwan's Catholics have an active community nationwide.

01:22And some of them, whose lives Francis touched, felt moved to come pay their respects.

01:27Among them was this aspiring theologian from Taiwan, but now based in Rome.

01:32As memories of Francis' papacy linger, the eyes of Taiwan's Catholics from all walks of life

01:52will stay fixed on the Vatican for now, as a new pope is chosen,

01:55and a new chapter in the history of this ancient institution begins.

02:00Alex Chen and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.