Catholics in Taiwan have been gathering to mourn the death of Pope Francis. Taiwan's government says it will send a high-level delegation to his funeral, keen to shore up ties with the Vatican, one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic allies.
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00:00Here at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in central Taipei,
00:04some of the country's 300,000 Catholics have been coming to pay their respects to Pope Francis.
00:10The death of the 88-year-old Argentinian Pontiff has prompted an outpouring of devotion among his faithful worldwide,
00:18and Taiwan is no exception.
00:20So I'm very happy and very happy.
00:24The happy is that he is always on the ground.
00:26The happy is that we have lost such a good leader.
00:30He is a very friendly person, very humble,
00:36and he has been living in a humble life.
00:39He has become the one of our disciples.
00:43I think he is really good.
00:46He is very honest.
00:48He will always teach us to live in a way of a Christian.
01:04Though Catholics make up a small part of the population,
01:07the Vatican also plays an important role for Taiwan diplomatically,
01:11one of just 12 countries around the world with official diplomatic ties with Taiwan,
01:16and the only place in Europe to recognize Taiwan as a country.
01:20Taiwan is expected to send a high-level delegation to Pope Francis' funeral.
01:24In the past, Taiwan presidents have been to the Vatican for important occasions,
01:28rare high-profile trips for Taiwan leaders, often isolated on the world stage by China.
01:34The government in the first time,
01:37to express their mercy on the Sunday ministry,
01:39and to express the pride of Taiwan people,
01:40and their pride in the most CBD.
01:43His Prime Minister has been leading to the first time,
01:45by the Parliament of Our Council.
01:47to the Prime Minister,
01:49and to proclaim the Parliament of the Vatican and the Ministry,
01:51two days after the Parliament of Taiwan,
01:53to表明 that our government and our people will au-dead.
01:57Change in leadership brings uncertainty to these important ties.
02:01China is known to put pressure on Taiwan's diplomatic allies to switch ties to Beijing.
02:06For the country's faithful, it's a time to come together to mourn and honour the memory of their revered spiritual leader.
02:13Joseph Wu and Rick Lawert in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.