Retired Catholic Archbishop's Handwritten Will Validated by Court After NPA Challenge

A handwritten will by a retired Catholic Archbishop, designating most of his assets to church foundations, has been deemed valid by the Tainan District Court, overturning challenges from Taiwan's National Property Administration (NPA).

The Archbishop, who passed away in September 2022 at the age of 90, left behind a significant estate including savings, stocks, and funds. As he had no spouse or direct heirs in Taiwan, the NPA was appointed as the estate administrator. However, a third party presented a handwritten will from June 2012, naming them as executor and requesting the estate be distributed according to its terms.

The NPA contested the will, raising doubts about whether the witnesses had personally observed the Archbishop writing it and suggesting the possibility of deception or undue influence. They argued the will was invalid. However, the church foundations, including the Catholic Diocese of Taipei and Tainan, and Tainan De Guang High School, stated that the Archbishop personally wrote the will at his residence in Tainan. They confirmed he presented it to Father Luo and a parishioner, Ms. Xu, for witnessing and signing, asserting it reflected his true intentions.

Father Luo testified in court, corroborating the account. He stated that he and Ms. Xu witnessed the Archbishop present the will, signed it in the Archbishop's presence, and that the Archbishop then took it back for safekeeping. Father Luo, who knew the Archbishop's handwriting since childhood, affirmed the will was genuinely written by the Archbishop and represented his true wishes. Based on this testimony, the court ruled the will valid, dismissing the NPA's lawsuit. The ruling is subject to appeal.

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The will was written by the Archbishop himself, and he presented it to Father Luo and Ms. Xu to see and witness. Father Luo and Ms. Xu signed as witnesses in front of Archbishop, and Archbishop took it back to keep. The will is indeed the Archbishop's true intention and was personally written by him, with no problem.