CATHOLIC VICE PRESIDENT FOR TAIWAN
Chen Chien-jen, Taiwan’s first Catholic vice president, could help raise the profile of the church on the island, local Catholics said.
Chen, eminent epidemiologist, ran with Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party, who won the Jan. 16 presidential elections in a landslide.
Chen, 64, is known to be a fervent Catholic, being conferred a knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in 2010 and of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in 2013 for his contributions to the church.
James Liao, a Catholic educator in Taichung, hopes Chen will bring Christian values into the political circle.
“This will help improve the effectiveness of the government and carry out justice so that authorities can join hands with the church in helping the marginalized and enhance social welfare,” he said.
(UCA News Service)
His main adviser is the Archbishop of Taipei, John Hung, who studied for the priesthood and was ordained in the Philippines at the Divine Word Seminary Tagaytay.