Vietnam – Vatican relations develop positively, says Deputy PM
VOV.VN - The relations between Vietnam and the Vatican have developed positively in recent times, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said while receiving Under-Secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States Monsignor Miroslaw Stanislaw Wachowski in Hanoi on April 22.
He welcomed Wachowski‘s visit for co-hosting the ninth meeting of the Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group which he said will help enhance and meet mutual interests of the two sides as well as interests of the Catholic Community of Vietnam.
The Deputy PM suggested that the Holy See continue to encourage the Vietnamese Catholic community to accompany the nation and respect the law, contributing to raising the good image of Catholicism in Vietnam and promote the Vietnam-Vatican relations.
Under Secretary Wachowski affirmed that Pope Francis and the Holy See always want to strengthen the relations between the Holy See and Vietnam, creating conditions for the Catholic Community of Vietnam to actively contribute to national development.
He agreed on measures to foster relations between the two sides in the coming time, including increasing regular contact and maintaining consultation mechanisms.
The same day, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and Under Secretary Miroslaw Stanislaw Wachowski co-hosted the ninth meeting of the Vietnam-Vatican working group.
Ngoc briefed his guest on Vietnam’s socio-economic development gains and thanked Pope Francis for providing the Vietnamese Catholic community with EUR100,000 to combat COVID-19.
He emphasized that Vietnam’s consistent policy is to respect and guarantee people’s right to freedom of belief and religion, and that Vietnamese authorities at all levels always pay attention to the needs of the Catholic Church, creating conditions for the Vietnamese Catholic community to operate and develop.
The two sides exchanged views on the draft regulation on the operation of the permanent envoy of the Vatican and the office of the permanent envoy in Vietnam, in line with the roadmap for upgrading the relations between Vietnam and the Holy See.
They agreed to continue maintaining regular exchanges and contact at all levels in order to promote bilateral relations on the basis of cooperation, dialogue and mutual respect.
