This year marks the 400th anniversary of Matteo Ricci's arrival in China. In honor of the occasion, scholars from around the world and Roman Catholic Church figures organized a commemorative conference in Taiwan this September.
現任教宗若望保祿二世亦推崇他是「歐洲與中國兩大文明間的橋樑」。今年是利瑪竇來華四百周年，國內為此召開了一項盛大的國際學術會議，以紀念這位對中國邁向現代化有重大影響力的西洋人。