Rome, June 15 (CNA) Pope Leo XIV blessed a newlywed Taiwanese couple in person during a public appearance in Rome, Italy, on Wednesday, applauding missionary work in Taiwan and pledging to pray for peace in the nation.
According to a Facebook post Saturday by the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Holy See, the couple -- Chen Ssu-ying (陳思穎) and Wu Chun-chien (吳君健) -- met the Pope during the weekly Public Audience, and the Pope smiled warmly and his eyes "lit up" upon hearing they were from Taiwan.
The Pope praised the missionary work of Taiwan's Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference and the local Catholic Church, and promised to pray for "no wars" for the nation, according to the post.
Chen, who works at the Commission of Evangelization Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference, visited Rome to attend the International Leaders Summit and the G33 Women of Influence Summit held from June 1-5 by Global 2033, an international preaching movement led by the Catholic Church.
Taiwanese churches have sent delegates to attend Global 2033 summits for two consecutive years, in an effort to increase Taiwan's interaction with global gospel movements, Chen said.
She recalled that at the end of this year's summit, 171 representatives from over 70 nations prayed for Taiwan and repeatedly exclaimed "Taiwan will be safe" -- a moment that moved everyone present and showed her the valuable friendships Taiwan has around the world.
In the embassy's post, Wu also encouraged Taiwanese Catholics to consider visiting Rome for their honeymoon and explained how couples can receive a papal blessing.
He said the Pope holds public catecheses every Wednesday and tickets are available on the Vatican government website.
To be eligible for the blessing, couples must have been married for less than two months in a Catholic church, and they should provide a sacramental marriage certificate from their diocese, purchase tickets marked "newlyweds," and wear their wedding attire, according to Wu.
