Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and Pope Francis (Photo: VNA)
Rome (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Truong HoaBinh on October 20 had meetings with Pope Francis and Secretary of State of theVatican City Cardinal Pietro Parolin on October 20 during his working trip tothe city state.
The Deputy PM conveyed thanks from Acting President Dang ThiNgoc Thinh and the family of late President Tran Dai Quang to the Pope for extendingcondolences over the death of the President and sending a representative toVietnam to pay last respects to the deceased.
He informed the Pope on Vietnam’s outstanding achievementsin socio-economic development and international integration, emphasizing thatthey are the results of the joint efforts of all Vietnamese, including thereligious community.
Deputy PM Binh affirmed that Vietnam constantly works toperfect its policy on respecting and ensuring the freedom of religion andbelief for all Vietnamese, and offering favourable conditions for religions tooperate in line with their charters and statutes and in accordance with thelaw. This can be clearly seen in the all-round development and diverseactivities of religions in Vietnam, including the Vietnam Catholic Church.
PopeFrancis welcomed the visit by Deputy PM Binh, describing it as an important newstep of development helping enhance mutual understanding and thus furtherpromoting the ties between Vietnam and the Vatican in the time ahead.
He recalled the good memory about his meetings with Vietnam’sleaders in the past years and expressed joy at the positive developments inVatican-Vietnam ties.
The Pope thanked the Government and authorities at alllevels of Vietnam for facilitating activities of the Vietnam Catholic Churchand the Vatican’s non-resident envoy to Vietnam.
He stressed that the Vietnam Catholic Church should betterimplement the motto of “Living the Gospel amid the nation” set by the Vietnam EpiscopalCouncil and the Pope’s teaching that “a good Catholic is a good citizen.”
The Pope encouraged Vietnamese Catholic followers and dignitariesto participate in common activities and make active contributions to thedevelopment of the nation and the church.
The Vietnamese Deputy PM affirmed that Vietnam appreciatesand respects the instructions and teachings of the Pope and the Holy Seetowards the Vietnamese Catholic community. He expressed the hope that the HolySee will guide the Vietnam Catholic Church and Vietnamese Catholic community infollowing the Pope’s teachings, adding that Vietnam stands ready to work withthe Vatican to enhance bilateral ties.
During his meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State, DeputyPM Binh stressed that Vietnam always creates the best conditions for religions,including Catholic, to operate on an equal basis and in accordance with thelaw.
Vietnam attaches importance to and wants to promote tieswith the Vatican on the basis of respect for principles on relations among nations,meeting the aspirations and interests of both sides, Binh said.
Pietro Parolin said the Vatican always encourages theVietnam Catholic Church to contribute actively to national construction anddefence.
The two sides exchanged views on important issues inbilateral ties and affirmed the need to maintain high-level meetings andregular dialogues at all levels.
They discussed and reached agreement on the directions forstrengthening Vietnam-Vatican ties towards elevating the relationship from thelevel of non-resident envoy to resident envoy in the time ahead. They assigned thejoint working group to make preparations for the 7th meeting to discuss theissue in details.
Deputy PM Binh conveyed an invitation from Prime MinisterNguyen Xuan Phuc to Secretary of State Parolin to visit Vietnam, which thelatter accepted with pleasure.-VNA
