A delegation of Vatican members travelled to Vietnam to strengthen diplomatic ties with the Asian country.
Newsroom (April 24, 2022, 1:40 PM, Gaudium Press), Msgr. Miroslaw Wacho, the Vatican undersecretary for relations with states, travelled to Vietnam accompanied by two other church authorities: Vietnamese Msgr. Francis Cao Minh Dung and Korean priest Han Hyun-taek.
The Vatican delegation arrived on April 20 to Vietnam and will stay for 7 days in order to strengthen diplomatic ties between the country and the Holy See.
The Vatican delegates were welcomed by Archbishop Marek Zalewski of Singapore and the Vatican’s non-resident representative to Vietnam, Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien of Hanoi, some priests and officials from the ministry of foreign affairs and religious affairs.
The head of office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, Fr. Joseph Dao Nguyen Vu explained that the Vatican commission will participate in the meeting of the Vietnam-Santa Sé Joint Working Group.
The meeting will last for two days, having started yesterday, April 21. This is the ninth meeting of the work cycle that seeks, among other objectives, to discuss a way to establish a permanent representative of the Holy See in the country.
The Vatican envoys will also celebrate Mass in Hanoi’s cathedral on Saturday, April 23, and participate in a meeting with the country’s bishops, as well as visit religious sites and institutes during their stay.
In addition to the joint working group meeting, the Vatican delegates also visited Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Thursday, April 21.
Deputy Interior Minister Vu Chiên Thang (right) and Vatican Undersecretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski, in Hanoi on April 21. Photo: VNA
During the meeting, the prime minister explained and assured the Vatican undersecretary that all citizens of the country have the freedom to practice the religion they profess and thanked the religious institutions for their efforts and help during the epidemic.
Bishop Miroslaw Wacho reinforced this by saying that his mission is to try to increase diplomatic ties between the Holy See and Vietnam, especially with the permanent presence of a representative of the Pope in the country.
Visits to the Ministry of Interior and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs are also planned.
The two countries, the Vatican and Vietnam, broke diplomatic relations in 1976 when the Holy See envoy was expelled from the country by the communist government that took power in southern Vietnam. (FM)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
