Taiwan is using its diplomatic foothold in Rome to deepen ties with the Catholic Church, a quiet win for a country with very few formal allies left.

• Taiwan's ambassador to the Holy See hosted a national day reception in Rome drawing more than 200 guests, including the dean of the College of Cardinals and other senior Vatican officials.
• The pitch centered on a shared anniversary: 2026 marks 400 years since both the completion of St. Peter's Basilica and the arrival of Dominican missionaries in Taiwan.
• Taiwan touted joint aid work in education, health, poverty, children and youth, and women's programs that has reached more than 50,000 people across Italy, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
• Both sides leaned on the ethics of artificial intelligence as common ground, pointing to Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical and President Lai Ching-te's calls for AI that stays democratic and inclusive.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep pushing humanitarian and AI-ethics cooperation as the glue holding its last European diplomatic relationship in place.