President Vo Van Thuong visits the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam at its office in Ho Chi Minh City on August 7. (Photo: VNA) 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.
He affirmed that the community is always enthusiastic about practisingthe religion, living the gospel, and responding to the call of the Church and thePope; and committed to serving the community, the society and the country.
President Vo Van Thuong (first row, third from right) in a group photo with members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam at the meeting. (Photo: VNA) He pledged that in the time to come, the Catholic Bishops'Conference of Vietnam will continue its tradition and making more contributionsto the country’s development. It also hopes to show deeper engagementin the fields of education, health care and social welfare, thus making morecontributions to the community, he added.
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./.
President Vo Van Thuong (first row, third from right) in a group photo with members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam at the meeting. (Photo: VNA) 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./.
VNA
