Taipei’s University holds symposium on Matteo Ricci

(April 21, 2010) In Taiwan, a symposium was held on Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci ,400 years after his death in Beijing, China, on 11 May 1610. Some 90 scholars from around the world gathered on Tuesday at Fu Ren University in Taipei, for the conference. The experts included people from the West - including two noted PIME missionaries and also academics from mainland China. Taiwan's ambassador to the Holy See, Larry Wang Yu-yuan, who was among the first to speak at the opening ceremony, stressed on the value of the cultural and religious relationship between the two sides of the Strait.
Cardinal Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, sent a message to the symposium saying that “the memory of Matteo Ricci is still alive among those, who saw in him the genius of a great personality, who managed to discover and appreciate the great cultural and spiritual traditions of the Chinese people.” Card. Sodano also emphasized that Matteo Ricci was "first and foremost a herald of the Gospel of Christ." The 4-day symposium will study the various historical aspects of China at the time of Matteo Ricci and his Jesuit successors. A bronze statue dedicated to Matteo Ricci was also unveiled on Tuesday at Fu Ren University.