Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Foreign Minister HaKim Ngoc and an interdisciplinary delegation made a working visit to theVatican on August 23-24.
At meetings with Vatican officials, both sides discussed the Vietnam-Vaticanrelations, including issues related to the Vietnam Catholic Church, in a frankand constructive manner.
Ngoc affirmed that Vietnam pursues a consistent policyof respecting and ensuring the freedom to beliefs and religions of allcitizens, while working hard to complete its legal framework on beliefs andreligions.
Vietnam encourages and continues creating optimalconditions for the Vietnam Catholic Church to actively engage in nationalconstruction, he said, adding that the country always pays attention to the demandsof the church.
The Vatican agreed that the Vietnam Catholic Churchshould continue realising teachings of the Pope on “good Catholics, goodcitizens” and the church’s spirit of living the gospel amid the nation.
The Vatican also pledged to pay attention to strengtheningthe bilateral ties, and wished that the Vietnamese Catholic community wouldcontinue having positive contributions to society and abiding by the country’slegal regulations.
The two sides also recognised encouraging progress inthe Vietnam-Vatican relations over the past years with regular meetings anddialogues to promote mutual understanding.
They agreed to continue having goodwill andconstructive talks to deal with existing problems.-VNA
VNA
