FABC delegation welcomed in Hanoi
(VOV) - Leaders from the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs on December 10 received senior delegates at the 10th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).
The delegation included Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, Special Envoy of Pope Benedict XVI, and Cardinal Oswald Cracias, FABC Secretary General.
Pope Benedict XVI closely follows the Vietnamese Catholic community’s positive developments, said Rosales and Cracias. The Pope praised the growing ties between Vietnam and the Vatican, as well as the support the Vietnamese Government offered Vatican’s non-permanent representative to the country, they added.
Addressing the meeting, Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Pham Dung, who is also Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, said his committee is assigned the task of guiding and helping religions in Vietnam operate in line with the country’s law and charters and the committee acts as a bridge between the State and parishioners.
Catholicism, the second largest religion in Vietnam, has made many contributions to the national construction and development, the official said.
He said he hopes the delegation will learn more about the daily life and religious activities of Vietnamese parishioners and offer suggestions to improve his committee’s management of religious affairs.
Dung also asked the delegation to convey his thanks to the Pope and related ministries of the Vatican, urging them to pay more attention to the Catholic community in Vietnam.
The 10th Plenary Assembly of FABC is taking place in the southern province of Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City from December 10-16. Being held for the first time in Vietnam, the event drew the participation of 122 cardinals, archbishops, bishops and church representatives from Asia, Europe, Australia and the Vatican.