TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s only European ally, the Vatican, has co-organized a meeting in New Taipei City about a dialogue between Christianity and Confucianism, reports said Friday (March 8).

The March 8-9 event was organized by Fu Jen Catholic University and the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The conference brought scholars together from all over the world to draw up a roadmap for dialogue between the two traditions, Vatican News reported.

Father Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, the under-secretary of the dicastery, attended the conference, per CNA. He lived and worked in Taiwan before, while using this visit to meet with representatives of other religions in the country.

The goal of the event was to draw up guidelines for dialogue before more formal contacts, with Kubuya underlining the common characteristics of the two belief systems. The move toward closer exchanges corresponded to a call by Pope Francis for “fraternity that goes beyond borders,” according to the Vatican official.