TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s first Indigenous bishop, Reverend Norbert Pu (浦英雄) of Chiayi, visited Pope Francis at the Vatican, reports said Thursday (Sept. 21).

Pu is a member of the Tsou community, which mostly inhabits the Alishan region of Chiayi County. He was appointed bishop in February 2022, becoming the first Indigenous person to reach such a high office inside the Catholic Church, and he was noted for translating liturgical texts into the Tsou language, per CNA.

The Vatican is Taiwan’s only official diplomatic ally in Europe. The mission at the Holy See noted on Facebook that Pu had brought the best wishes from Taiwan Catholics with him, while the Pope expressed his gratitude with his “warmest smile.”

Pu toured the “5 Loaves & 2 Fish” modern art exhibition which the Taiwan mission was hosting to mark the 10th anniversary of the Pope’s Pontificate. The event would help deepen cultural relations between the two diplomatic allies, the bishop said.

Taiwan has been closely watching efforts by Pope Francis to promote contacts with China. In 2018, the two sides concluded an agreement, but Beijing was recently thought to have violated the deal by appointing bishops without approval from the Vatican.