TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Vatican has donated NT$1.48 million (US$50,000) to aid victims of Typhoon Danas following prayers offered by Pope Leo XIV, reports said Wednesday.

The storm caused significant damage in southern Taiwan in early July, with continued heavy rainfall affecting the region in the weeks since. On July 16, Pope Leo prayed for those affected and directed that assistance be provided—his first such action toward Taiwan as head of the Holy See, the country’s only official diplomatic ally in Europe.

Taiwan’s embassy to the Vatican said Wednesday the donation, provided through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, has been received, per CNA. Bishop John Lee (李克勉), Taiwan’s top Catholic Church official, along with the bishops of Tainan and Chiayi, expressed gratitude for the pontiff’s support.

They also called for continued prayers, as Chiayi and Tainan continued to face flooding and landslides in the wake of Tropical Storm Francisco, Taiwan’s mission to the Holy See said on Facebook.

The post noted that Pope Leo previously served as a bishop in Peru, where he witnessed Taiwan’s donation of COVID-19 aid during the pandemic.