Ambassador Roy Chun Lee led colleagues to visit KADOC-KU Leuven and Sint Andriesabdij Zevenkerken in Brugges on May 6.
Bart Raymaekers, President of the Scientific Committee of KADOC, welcomed Ambassador Lee. Kim Christiaens, Director of KADOC, together with a KADOC researcher, explained the history and work of KADOC as well as the historical artifacts of Dom Pierre-Célestin Lou (1871-1949), the first Foreign Minister of the Republic of China. Both sides discussed the historical religious bond between Taiwan and Belgium, and expressed anticipation for more exchanges and cooperation on the preservation of historical archives and academic research in the future.
While visiting the world heritage site of Sint Andriesabdij Zevenkerken in Bruges, renowned for its significant role in Belgian and European Catholic history since the early 20th century, as well as for the important part it played in creating a strong bond between the European and Chinese Catholic communities, Ambassador Lee, accompanied by Abbot Dom Léon Van Luchene and Abbot Dom René Fobe, admired the abbey's rich history and environment. He also commemorated Dom Lou's dedication and contributions to the Catholic communities in front of his tomb and belongings.
Dom Pierre-Célestin Lou (陸徵祥, 1871-1949), the first Foreign Minister of the Republic of China, dedicated his life to God and the Belgian Catholic community following the passing of his Belgian wife, Ms. Berthe-Françoise-Eugénie Bovy in 1926. Many of the local Catholic communities and seniors still can recall that there was once a Mandarin-speaking Dom Lou!