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The State leader wished Archbishop Giuse Nguyen Nang andmembers of the Catholic Bishops' Conference as well as all Catholics across thecountry good health and happiness.
He said that with the joint efforts of the Party, State andpeople, Vietnam has reaped important achievements in all fields. The countryhas won COVID-19 pandemic and shown strong socioeconomic recovery anddevelopment, maintaining political stability, ensuring social welfare, defenceand security, and strengthening foreign relations with outstanding results, he noted.
Thuong highlighted the active contributions fromthe Catholic community to this success, especially in the fields of socialwelfare, charity, pandemic prevention and control, and the spreading ofhumanitarian spirit, love and good values of the nation in general and thecommunity in particular.
The Party and State always stay consistent to the policy of ensuring andrespecting the freedom to religions and belief of all people, including theCatholic community, while creating optimal conditions for the community to practicetheir religion, he affirmed.
Briefing the conference on his visit to the Vatican,President Thuong said that he had a meeting with Pope Francis and CardinalPietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican.
He said that during his working session with Cardinal PietroParolin, the two sides affirmed that the Vietnam-Vatican relationship is growingfruitfully, and concurred to continue to promote this sound relationship.Vietnam and Vatican also agreed on the Status of the Resident PapalRepresentative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam.
For his part, Archbishop Giuse Nguyen Nang expressed his impression at theoutcomes of the President’s visits to Austria, Italy and the Vatican, saying they have helped enhancethe international position and reputation of Vietnam, and bring theVietnam-Vatican ties to a new development period with the approval of the Statusof the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident PapalRepresentative in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese Catholic community is delighted as the Vaticanwill send its Resident Papal Representative to Vietnam, he said.
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He expressed his belief that with the policies taken by theParty and State, the Catholic community in Vietnam will further promote itspotential and strengths, thus contributing more to the national constructionand development in the future./.