Archbishop Gallagher meets Vietnam’s Prime Minister in Hanoi

By Vatican News

On the afternoon of April 10, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, met with some representatives of the Vietnamese government in Hanoi. These include Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn, and Minister of the Interior, Mrs. Phạm Thị Thanh Trà.

The talks took place in a very friendly atmosphere. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính stated that the relations between Vietnam and the Holy See are very positive and have been further strengthened with the agreement last July on the resident pontifical representative, an agreement defined as an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations. The Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam is a multi-religious country with 27 million believers, equivalent to 27% of the population, with a rapidly growing Catholic community of over 7.2 million faithful.

Archbishop Gallagher also expressed satisfaction with the good bilateral relations, hoping that the next meeting - the eleventh - of the Vietnam-Holy See Joint Working Group could take place soon. He also expressed happiness for the contribution that the Catholic community offers to the development of Vietnamese society. During the talks, a visit by Pope Francis to Vietnam was also discussed.

The programme of Archbishop Gallagher's visit (9-14 April) also includes a Eucharistic celebration at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi, a meeting with students of the Major Seminary of Hue with a Mass at "Phu Cam" Cathedral, another Eucharistic celebration at "Notre Dame" Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City, and finally a meeting with the Vietnamese Episcopal Conference.

In a Letter to the Church of the Asian nation last September, Pope Francis invited the Catholic faithful to live as "good Christians and good citizens," witnessing the love of God "without distinction of religion, race, and culture." Relations between the Holy See and Vietnam were interrupted in 1975 but saw encouraging developments from 1990. In 2011, Benedict XVI appointed a non-resident pontifical representative. Last December, Pope Francis appointed Polish Archbishop Marek Zalewski as the resident pontifical representative in Vietnam.