VN official receives Billy Graham Evangelistic Association President
VOV.VN - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang on March 2 received Franklin Graham, President and CEO of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and President of international relief organisation Samaritan’ Purse.
Thang briefed his guest on religious freedom practices in Vietnam, saying the State of Vietnam has recognised and issued licences to 43 organisations of 16 religions with 26.5 million followers, accounting for 27% of the country’s total population.
Religions with a large number of followers include Buddhism, Catholicism, Hoa Hao Buddhism, Protestantism, and Cao Dai. Currently, Vietnam has over 1.2 million Protestants in 100 organisations in all cities and provinces nationwide, mostly in Ho Chi Minh City.
Notably, he said Vietnam adopted the Law on Beliefs and Religions 2016, affirming the State's consistent policy toward religious practices and creating a firm legal framework for followers to practice their regions in Vietnam.
The Party, State and Government of Vietnam always pay attention to and listen to opinions and meet the legitimate aspirations of religious organizations, said Thang.
He welcomed contributions of religious organizations, including the Protestant Church, to COVID-19 prevention and control and to the provision of relief aid to people affected by the pandemic.
Thang expressed his hope Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association would continue to carry out charitable activities, including rural clean water programmes, contributing to the development of Vietnam.
Graham for his part noted with satisfaction the increasingly rich and diverse religious activities in Vietnam, contributing to the country’s socio-economic development. He affirmed that he would share interesting experiences in Vietnam with US politicians and people after returning home.
