Former President Yuan-Tseh Lee has been appointed Academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the fourth Asian scientist to be honored. The former three are Academicians of Academia Sinica, Chen-Ning Yang, Tsung-Dao Lee and Te-Tzu Chang.

    The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, founded in 1936 under its current name by Pope Pius XI, is placed under the protection of the reigning Supreme Pontiff (the current Pope). The aim of the Academy is to promote the progress of the mathematical, physical and natural sciences and the study of related epistemological problems and issues. Among all the 80 Academicians, scientists with worldwide reputation, 20 had been granted the Nobel Prize. The members of the Academy are elected by the body of Academicians on the basis of the high scientific value of their studies and of their acknowledged moral profile without any ethnic, political or religious discrimination and then officially appointed by the Roman Pontiff.