Viet Nam, Holy See vow to foster relations
VGP - Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on April 22 received Undersecretary for the Relations with States at the Holy See Miroslaw Wachowski, who is on a visit to Viet Nam to co-chair the 9th round meeting of the two sides’ joint working group.
Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) hosts a reception for Undersecretary for the Relations with States at the Holy See Miroslaw Wachowski, Ha Noi, April 22, 2022 - Photo: VGP
Pham expressed his delight at the strides in the Viet Nam-Vatican relations, adding that mutual visits by senior leaders and meetings of the joint working group will help tighten bilateral links and meet common interests of both sides, as well as the interests of the Catholic community in Viet Nam.
He suggested the Holy See continue guiding the Catholic community to stay side by side with the nation and adhere to laws, thereby helping promote the good image of Catholism in Viet Nam and step up bilateral ties.
Undersecretary Stanisław Wachowski affirmed that Pope Francis and the Holy See always hope bilateral relations will continue developing, thus creating conditions for Viet Nam's Catholic community to actively contribute to national development.
He agreed on the measures for bolstering bilateral connections in the time ahead, especially increasing meetings and maintaining the existing consultation mechanisms.
The Vietnamese Deputy PM took the occasion to convey PM Pham Minh Chinh's invitation to visit Viet Nam to the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc (R) welcomes Undersecretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States Miroslaw Wachowski, Ha Noi, April 22, 2022 - Photo: VNA
The same day, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and Undersecretary Stanisław Wachowski co-chaired the 9th round meeting of the joint working group.
On behalf of the Vietnamese Government, he expressed gratitude to Pope Francis' decision to give €100,000 (US$108,000) in aid to the Catholic community in Viet Nam in August last year.
They discussed issues related to the draft regulations on activities of the Holy See's resident special envoy and the office of the resident special envoy in Viet Nam, in line with the roadmap for elevating the Viet Nam-Vatican relations.
They agreed to continue maintaining exchanges and contacts at all level to promote bilateral ties on the basis of cooperation, dialogue, and mutual respect./.
