Catholic exemplary patriotic models to be praised

Nearly 200 Catholics from the 7-million Catholic community will be honoured for standing out in movements promoting good deeds over the past five years at a conference slated for September 29-30.

Priest Tran Xuan Manh, Vice President and General Secretary of the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics, said in Hanoi on September 17 that the conference will also review difficulties, limitations and lessons learnt from the campaigns.

It will also roll out orientations, tasks and plans to popularise the movements among the Catholic community during the 2015-2020 period.

Nguyen Xuan Toan, the Committee’s office chief, said the “All people unite to build a cultural life in residential areas” drive has brought pragmatic outcomes among the Catholic believers over the past five years.

Many exemplary models have sprouted up in production, economic development, poverty reduction, humanitarian activities and the observance of the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws, he added.

Toan said such good deed-centred movements have given parishes and Catholic families a facelift, helped raise confidence among Catholics while tightening solidarity between religions, thus contributing to fulfilling the goal of a wealthy people, a powerful country and a democratic, equitable and civilised society.

Catholicism constitutes the second largest religion in Vietnam, behind only Buddhism with over 12 million followers.-VNA