Taiwan's envoy to the funeral of Pope Francis said he prayed for President Lai Ching-te to be able to attend the inauguration of the new pontiff, and that he had met Japan's foreign minister, easing the island's diplomatic isolation.

Taiwan is working to send Lai Ching-te to the funeral of Pope Francis, a trip that would offer the island’s president a rare opportunity to mix with world leaders.

While a slew of countries, including the United States, have announced their heads of state will attend Saturday's funeral, diplomatically isolated and Chinese-claimed Taiwan, which has formal ties with the Vatican,