Holy See: The Vietnamese Church’s freedom is for the good of society

By Vatican News

The Viet Nam-Holy See Joint Working Group meeting in Hanoi on Friday, May 17, was characterized by an atmosphere of cordiality, frankness and mutual respect.

A statement from the Press Office of the Holy See, published following this meeting, also indicates that this meeting is the first to take place after the conclusion, on 27th of July 2023, of the Agreement between Viet Nam and the Holy See on the status of the resident papal representative and on the office of the resident papal representative of the Holy See in Vietnam.

The two sides had a broad and in-depth exchange of views on Vietnam-Holy See relations, including issues related to the Catholic Church in Vietnam.

Freedom of the Church in Vietnam

The meeting was co-chaired by Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, head of the Vietnamese delegation, and Archbishop Mirosław Wachowski, Undersecretary for Relations with States, head of the Holy See delegation.

“While reaffirming the freedom of the Church to accomplish its mission for the good of the whole of society, they noted that the Catholic community of Vietnam will continue to be inspired by the Magisterium of the Church regarding the practice of “living the Gospel”. in the world” and be, at the same time, good Christians and good citizens”, we can read in the press release.

Progress in relationships

Both sides recognized the progress in Vietnam-Holy See relations, thanks to regular contacts and consultations, the exchange of high-level delegations and the activities of the Papal Resident Representative, Archbishop Marek Zalewski.

Before leaving Vietnam, the Holy See delegation paid a courtesy visit to some Vietnamese authorities and met with the Archbishop of Ha Noi, Joseph Vũ Văn Thiên.