Amb. Wang (right) delivers the donation to Grand Master Festing (left).
On June 22 at noon, Ambassador Larry Yu-yuan Wang attended a ceremony at the Magistral Palace of the Order of Malta during which he personally delivered a donation to His Most Eminent Highness Fra’ Matthew Festing, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Among those presents, there were H.E. Albert Freiherr von Boeselager, Grand Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dominique Prince de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, Chief of Cabinet, and H.E. Alberto Leoncini Bartoli, SMOM Ambassador to the Holy See.
In addressing those presents, Ambassador Larry Wang conveyed his greetings both to the host and the members of this esteemed Order and thanked the Grand Master for the important work that his Order accomplishes every day to carry out special humanitarian actions for those in need. In particular, he mentioned that the donation by the Government of the Republic of China in Taiwan will help making the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital in Vietnam fully operative and improving the quality of healthcare offered with mobile medical units. Ambassador Wang added that, in the future, Taiwan wishes to become one the SMOM’s most loyal partners for charity and assistance since their common commitment to alleviate people’ sufferings will inspire their activities and bring new vigor to charity initiatives.
Then it was Fra’ Matthew Festing’s turn to talk. He started by conveying the Sovereign Order of Malta’s deepest appreciation and gratefulness to the People and Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and to Ambassador Larry Wang. He then praised Taiwan, which is among the most economically and technologically advanced countries which focuses on the most disadvantaged peoples and groups by providing assistance and carrying out social initiatives.
The Grand Master stated that the Sovereign Order of Malta also shares the important values of collaboration and service for the benefit of the poor, the sick, the victims of natural catastrophes and displaced persons, without distinction of race, gender or religion. He said that he was confident that the cooperation between the two on humanitarian projects will continue to grow as they have since September 2012, when a delegation of the Order went to Taiwan. Following this journey, the exchanges among the two intensified, as ROC Vice President Wu Deng-Yih and Foreign Minister David Lin, each came to visit and had a meeting with the representatives of the Order.
His Royal Highness concluded his speech by saying that the Order of Malta strongly believes in the values of solidarity and compassion demonstrated throughout its long history, that is why, once again, he wished to convey his deep gratitude to all the citizens of the Republic of China for its contribution in favour of Vietnamese patients affected by leprosy.
The Sovereign Order of Malta was founded in Jerusalem in 1048 and has played a significant role in the history of Europe in the last ten centuries. Its sovereignty was recognized by Pope Paschal II in 1113. Today it enjoys diplomatic relations with 105 countries and the European Commission, and has permanent observer missions at the United Nations, and with principal international organisations. It conducts its medical, social and humanitarian activities in 120 countries.
Sir Francis Wogan Festing, father of the current Grand Master of the Order of Malta, was conferred on the prestigious Order of the Cloud and Banner by the Government of the Republic of China for his valuable contributions. In fact, he fought shoulder to shoulder with the ROC soldiers and distinguished himself during the Burma Campaign, particularly for the services provided in Northern Burma.
