In the letter, Chen also asked the pope to pray for peace for the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, saying that Taiwan had experienced the fear of suffering long-term military threats.
The pope moved to his summer residence last week and yesterday held his first mass of the year there.
After the mass, Presidential Office spokesman James Huang pushed Wu in her wheelchair to approach the pope on the podium. She shook hands and chatted with him.
"The first lady congratulated the pope on the 25th anniversary of his assumption of papacy and also expressed good wishes for the pope's health," Huang said.
"The pope thanked the first lady for her sincerity in making the long journey [to see him], and asked her to send his greetings to President Chen and the Taiwanese people."
The letter, delivered by Wu as the president's special representative, was also based on the theme of peace. It said that Taiwan would follow the pope's teachings about peace.
Huang said that Chen mentioned in the letter that the first lady was acting as a special representative for him and the Taiwanese people.
The president said that the first lady's health was not suitable for long-distance travel, but because of her persistence in helping with Taiwan's diplomacy, she never considered the hardship she had to endure.
"The president also mentioned that Taiwan was still under military threat from China, and he hoped that the both China and Taiwan could follow faithfully the pope's peaceful doctrines of truth, justice, love and freedom," Huang said.
"President Chen also expressed Taiwan's willingness to work with the international community to build peace in the Middle East. He hoped that Taiwan could contribute to the post-war relief plan for Iraq, and said he was donating US$100,000 to the Vatican foundation for that cause."
Wu stressed that the pope was not in good health, but perhaps out of the concern for disadvantaged groups, he was not willing to let her, a woman in a wheelchair who traveled long way, to return with nothing accomplished.
So the pope took time out of his busy schedule to talk with her and her delegation, Wu said.
When Wu met the pope, many people were waving the Taiwan and Vatican national flags outside.
Wu had the chance to introduce all the members of her delegation to the pope, and the pope shook hands with the ambassador and officials in the delegation.
After a four-day trip to Berlin, Wu arrived at the Camillians armed forces airport in Rome on a private flight on Saturday afternoon.
Since Taiwan has official diplomatic ties with the Holy See, Wu was greeted with formal ceremonies, including a reception from the commander of the armed forces base and a military escort for the first lady's vehicle.
Yesterday morning she received the secretary-general of the Order of Camillians Fr. Luigi Galvan. She thanked the order for their efforts in setting up hospitals in eastern Taiwan and outlying islands since 1952.
"If I knew anything about diplomacy, then I would have asked the president to appoint me minister of foreign affairs long ago," she joked recently.
Wu has has become adept at complementing the conservative traditions of the foreign ministry's bureaucratic system with her straightforward and humorous style.
While President Chen Shui-bian focuses on high-level visits to diplomatic allies and boosting ties with the US, and Vice President Annette Lu conducts her "guerilla diplomacy," the first lady uses her ability to travel to countries with no official ties with Taiwan to enhance the country's visibility abroad.
Former Government Information Office director Arthur Iap said that Wu also realized that the essence of a diplomat's humor is to make self-deprecating jokes to entertain the audience.
"She also knows how to create suitable news topics for the media, and play along with media requests," he said. She is also smart enough to know how far each side in a negotiation will give ground and has thoroughly mastered the art of crisis management, he said.
"When Wu Shu-chen visited the US last year and Europe this time, she always makes jokes about how she feels helpless during the long and complicated rituals of a diplomatic occasion," said Joseph Wu , the deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office.
"Like during a dinner party hosted by Taiwan's ambassador to the Vatican in Rome, when the soprano's performance lasted more than half an hour.
"Even though she sang really well, the exhausted and starving Taiwanese delegates were in no mood to appreciate her performance.
"In the end, Wu came to their rescue when she gave her speech, saying, `When the soprano was singing, my stomach was singing too.'
"Her joke immediately soothed the tension and gloom among the delegation," he said.
Wu also has a knack of dealing with the media, understanding their varying needs while maintaining her status.
On a visit to a part of the Berlin Wall with the words "A-bian will surely win" daubed on it, she cooperated with the photographers even though it was very hot.
But she spoke only about the Taiwanese people, mentioning nothing about the presidential election next year.
"And when she was in the presence of our international friends in Berlin, as well as stressing the importance of her visit in boosting the relationship between Taiwan and Germany, she also talked about future developments between Taiwan and Europe. She highlighted the role of her trip to Germany as `a key to Europe,' bestowing her visit with a deeper meaning," said Hu Wei-chen, Taiwan's representative to Germany.
When it comes to her mastery of crisis management, her visit to the US last year provided an excellent example. After she was unexpectedly searched at Los Angeles airport, Wu's immediate response was described by an accompanying diplomats as "grabbing the US government by the throat and making them pay what they should diplomatically."
The diplomat said afterwards that the skill the first lady demonstrated when negotiating with the US officials could almost become a textbook example for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wu was tough and soft at the same time, showing respect to the US officials but insisting on her bottom line.
Her performance turned the crisis into the stimulus for the further development of the relationship between Taiwan and the US. The incident resulted in the first contact between the top-level officials from Taiwan and the US, the diplomat said.
"The first lady suffered, but she helped the president and top-level officials make a diplomatic breakthrough," he said.
（記者溫貴香 梵蒂岡隨行報導）總統夫人吳淑珍昨日以「總統特別代表」身分訪問教廷並與教宗若望保祿二世會晤，當面問候教宗身體健康並轉交陳總統親筆信函，教宗則要吳淑珍代為轉達陳總統與台灣人民問候之意。陳總統在親筆信函中指出，為響應教宗對伊拉克人民與重建工作的關懷，除以捐贈各項物資外，將再捐贈十萬美元，相當台幣三百多萬元，提供普世教會作為伊拉克濟助工作。
總統夫人吳淑珍抵達教宗位於羅馬附近的岡道夫夏宮，由於教宗在夏宮休假期間停止一切「單獨會晤」，因此，教廷特別安排總統夫人參加教宗在夏宮每週固定舉行的主日彌撒，並在教宗頌唸「三鐘經」後，第一位上台向教宗致意。
會後，總統府公共事務室主任黃志芳轉述吳淑珍與教宗談話指出，總統夫人祝賀教宗就任25週年銀慶，問候教宗身體健康，並送上陳總統親筆信函；教宗則對總統夫人到訪表示感謝之意，並要總統夫人代為向陳總統與全國台灣人民表達問候。教宗並回贈一條白色的念珠。總統夫人昨日離開夏宮車上，特別透過車窗將念珠拿起來給媒體看，整個活動進行20分鐘結束。
陳總統信中還提到，出國訪問對內子而言，體能上是極大挑戰，基於對國家熱愛，內子願意承受身體不適，也不斷提醒世人台灣◆須克服的外交障礙，以完成台灣人民托付本人使命。總統還說，吳淑珍經常提起真理與寬恕的重要性，她以真理與寬恕面對17年前那場造成她終身需要以輪椅代步的神秘車禍，也以和平來消弭政治與歷史的仇恨。
總統並以SARS疫情為例指出，對抗不受國界侷限的傳染病，獨漏一國的防治工作必將使全人類在這場抗疫戰爭中失敗。雖然SARS肆虐全球，但世界衛生組織仍舊屈服政治壓力，通過僅符合單一國家利益而非全人類福祉的議程，再度將台灣二千三百萬人民的健康權利排除在世界衛生組織之外。
教廷為了迎接台灣第一夫人的到來，夏宮門外門禁森嚴，雙重安檢關卡，同時會場四周都是便衣警察，安檢工作相當嚴密。
（記者溫貴香 義大利羅馬隨行報導）總統夫人吳淑珍包機抵達羅馬Ciampino機場，機場指揮官親自接機，同時懸掛台灣國旗歡迎吳淑珍的來訪，她使用的升降梯是教宗若望保祿二世專用。
駐教廷大使戴瑞明也指出，軍機場升起台灣國旗，這種禮遇是相當難得的，且義大利總理與義大利總統20日將分別利用這座機場；據了解，美總統來此也是包機直飛這座軍用機場，對吳淑珍高規格禮遇是教廷對邦交國元首層級的接待規格。
近來台義官方人士互訪頻繁，義大利友台小組成員曾經在91年和92年率團訪台，91年3月，台灣副總統呂秀蓮曾經訪問義大利。而總統李登輝的夫人李曾文惠在5年前也曾經以總統特別代表身分晉見教宗若望保祿二世就職20週年慶，美國總統柯林頓也曾使用過這座軍用機場。
第一夫人吳淑珍今天結束八天訪問歐洲「珍藏台灣，文化睦誼」之旅行程，明天將搭機返國。吳淑珍此行忍受了行程緊湊所帶來的飢餓和歐洲近年難得的酷暑，即使行動不便也要坐上輪椅將台灣推上國際舞台，凸顯台灣絕對不向國際逆境屈服的精神。
在國際社會中，受到中國無情的政治壓力影響，台灣的處境如同吳淑珍一般地行動不便，與其他國家的互動受到諸多的限制，但吳淑珍多次代表陳總統出訪，包括到美國訪問、前往法國領取自由獎章以及此次到歐洲訪問，吳淑珍用輪椅將台灣推上國際舞台的苦心和付出，外界應該如同陳水扁總統一般給予她高度的肯定。
這八天的「珍藏台灣，文化睦誼之旅」，適逢歐洲近年來難得的酷暑，吳淑珍的輪椅的痕跡到過德國老博物館、德國國會、瑙曼基金會、波茨坦宣言簽署地的熙里爾宮，也到過梵諦岡聖彼得大教堂、岡道夫教宗夏宮，晉見過教宗若望保祿二世，與德國和義大利友台小組的國會議員晤談。
吳淑珍的所到之處，也吸引當地外國人民的目光，她是誰，經常是隨行國內媒體記者被外國人民詢問的問題，來自台灣的第一夫人則是一致的答案。吳淑珍來訪也是歐洲主要媒體特別是德國和義大利媒體報導的焦點。
美國有線電視網、法蘭克福廣訊、柏林每日鏡報、柏林晨報、德國第二電視台ZDF、柏林電視台RBB、德國世界日報、柏林日報，義大利電視台 (telestudio)、義大利國營第一電視台、和平電視台 (telepace )、義大利北部的「一０一頻道」、中部的「您好電台」、南部的「流行頻道」和「羅馬調頻台」等眾多媒體則紛紛報導吳淑珍到訪的消息和專題，讓德國和義大利乃至於歐洲和全世界都得知台灣第一夫人的消息。
吸引國際目光的背後則是辛苦的付出，頂著高達攝氏三十多度的高溫、坐在輪椅的滋味絕對不好受，為使賓主盡歡、強忍饑餓和勞累直到深夜二時才就寢的情形也絕對不是享福，一度發生血糖降低甚至出現頭昏的吳淑珍，就是這樣度過八天的訪問行程，她說不累是騙人的。
台灣的外交處境何嘗不是如此，血淚交織的成果，卻不知道曙光何時會出現，台灣參與聯合國的努力是如此，台灣參與世界衛生組織的努力也是如此，台灣的外交明天仍不明朗，但吳淑珍的輪椅外交卻在辛苦中將讓台灣出現在國際的舞台。
台灣是需要國際的了解，更需要國際的珍藏。這次「珍藏台灣，文化睦誼」文物在柏林展出，吸引上千名民眾參與開幕，顯見只要精心設計和安排，好的東西絕對會吸引眾人的目光，進而被珍藏。台灣也是如此，吳淑珍在每個場合中，都不厭其煩地強調，台灣是有文化和有氣質的國家，台灣與歐洲其實是一樣的。
吳淑珍晉見教宗的畫面中，台灣國旗飄揚的感人畫面，感動僑胞的心，其實也會感動歐洲人民的心。吳淑珍向外國媒體記者強調，她的身體雖然柔弱，但意志卻是很堅強，充滿的毅力和韌性，只要國家有需要她的地方，她願意到任何地方。
台灣與國際社會的互動情形何嘗不是如此，台灣雖然小，卻小而美，台灣願意在國際社會善盡責任和竭力的付出，台灣所欠缺的是國際社會給予的機會和肯定。吳淑珍柔弱身體的背後是堅毅的使命，其行動不便也要坐輪椅將台灣推上國際舞台，凸顯台灣絕對不向國際逆境屆時的精神，相信國際社會迎接的曙光終將會普照在台灣的土地和人民。