President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man and a delegation of the VBS (Source: tapchimattran.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – President of theVietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man hailed theconstructive response of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) to patrioticmovements and campaigns launched by the VFF.
At a meeting with a delegation of the VBS in Hanoi on November 30, Manexpressed his hope that the VBS will pay more attention to intensifyingsolidarity among Vietnamese Buddhist followers, contributing to building thegreat national unity bloc.
He said the Law on Belief and Religion, which was approved at the secondplenary session of the 14th National Assembly and took effect sinceJanuary 1, 2018, has affirmed guidelines and policies of the Party and State onensuring belief and religious activities in line with political and socio-economicconditions of the country, and upholding the role and potential of religiousorganisations and individuals in national construction and defence.
Most Venerable Thich Thien Duc, General Secretary and Vice President of theVBS’s Executive Council, informed Man about outcomes of the eighth congress ofthe VBS that took place in Hanoi from November 19-22, 2017.
The congress re-honoured MostVenerable Thich Pho Tue as Supreme Patriarch of the VBS, and elected 96 membersof the Patronage Council and 225 official members of the Executive Council, hesaid.
The VBS has chapters in all 63 cities and provinces, and Associations ofVietnamese Buddhists in 11 countries worldwide. There are four Buddhismuniversities, eight college-level training programmes and 34 primary Buddhismschools.
Buddhist followers number nearly 40 million inVietnam, making up more than 40 percent of the nation’s population.-VNA
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