The Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) held a get-together in Hanoi on December 17 on the threshold of Christmas.

Priest Nguyen Cong Danh, President of the committee, extended his best wishes to all Catholics nationwide, and called on them to engage more in the social life and activities of the Vietnam Catholic Church.

He also urged them to continue grasping the teachings “Living the Gospel amidst the heart of the Nation to serve the happiness of compatriots”, issued by the Vietnam Episcopal Council in 1980, and following Pope Benedict XVI’s teaching that a good Catholic must be a good citizen.

In its Christmas greeting letter, the CSVC expressed its wish that all religious and non-religious people will exert their efforts in economic development, charitable drives, educational and healthcare activities.

It said it believes that each Vietnamese Catholic follower will always strive to contribute to the goal of a wealthy people, a strong country, and a democratic, equitable and civilised society.

At the event, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Thao Xuan Sung extended his greetings to priests and clergymen and hailed the contributions of the committee.

He voiced his hope that the CSVC’s sub-committees at all levels will well maintain their social campaigns, improve their operations, better fufill secular and religious lives, and encourage followers to join hands in national construction and defence.-VNA