VATICAN (Agencies): Archbishop John Hung Shan-chuan (洪山川) of Taipei, invited Pope Francis to visit Taiwan, possibly during the national Eucharistic Congress to be held on the island next March, AsiaNews and Reuters reported on May 11.
 
Reuters reported that the archbishop, who is in Rome for an ad limina visit together with six other Taiwanese bishops, said at a reception at Taiwan’s embassy to the Holy See, “No pope has ever landed in Taiwan.” 
 

TAINAN (UCAN): The Diocese of Tainan, Taiwan, is breathing a sigh of relief now that interest in a charity run, which at first looked to be a flop out of the starting blocks, saw a sudden, upward spike that saw the number of sign-ups multiply 10-fold in just a few days.
 
The first Tobias Cup, organised by the Tobias Social Welfare Foundation, is scheduled to kick off on May 26 in Hutoupei, Xinhua town, in Tainan, with the goal of raising NT$20 million ($5.28 million).
 

VATICAN  (CNS): Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with the people of Taiwan after high-magnitude earthquakes on February 6 and 7 devastated the island nation, killing at least nine people and injuring hundreds more.
In a telegramme sent by the Vatican, the pope offered “the assurance of his prayers for those who have lost their lives and for those who have been injured.” 
 

TAIPEI (UCAN): Father Chou Jung, from the parish of the Sacred Heart in Kinmen, a group of islands off the coast of China near the city of Xiamen under the administration of the People’s Republic of China, has linked the anti-corruption campaign being run by the president, Xi Jinping, to a resounding no vote against casinos being built on the island.
 
Residents on the islands overwhelmingly voted against casinos on their territory on October 28 with reports saying 24,368 voted against with only 2,705 in favour.
 

TAIPEI (AsiaNews): Presenting the Golden Ball Award in memory of her old teacher and friend, Father Jerry Martinson, who made his name famous across China and Taiwan for his comparing role on the Catholic television network, the Kuangchi Programme Service, as Uncle Jerry, Louise Tsuei quoted him as often saying, “Working in the media is like an act of faith, because, since we cannot see the public, we must firmly believe in what we are doing.”
 

TAIPEI (UCAN): Taiwan has granted citizenship to two missionaries from the United States of America, Father Alan Doyle and Sister Mary Paul Watts, in recognition of their contribution to society.
 
“I am a genuine Taiwanese,” 80-year-old Father Doyle said on July 9 as he received his identity card.
 
Father Doyle has lived in Taiwan for 53 years and worked in the area of the preservation and development of the Hoklo language, often referred to as Taiwanese, during his more then half a century on the island.