Vietnam president meets Pope in Vatican towards a warm tie
24/11/16
Pope
Francis hosted Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang at the Vatican as the two
work towards warming long-strained ties, a press release from the Holy See
said.
The two men "discussed the good relations which exist between the Holy See
and Vietnam, reinforced by a common spirit of dialogue" over the course of
a 15-minute meeting Wednesday, the statement said.
The pope and president spent 15 minutes speaking privately
before the president introduced his entourage and exchanged gifts with the
pope. The president gave Pope Francis a small bronze drum and the pope gave the
president a medallion.
The
Vatican said the two spoke of "the
good relations existing between the Holy See and Vietnam, (which are) supported
by a common spirit of dialogue and a constant search for the most appropriate
instruments so they can make further progress."
The
Vatican also said the pope and president highlighted "the collaboration
between the church and state in various spheres of society."
Vietnam's
communist regime broke off diplomatic ties with the Vatican in 1975, but both
sides have been working towards reconciliation since 2007, including a meeting
between the prime minister and the pope two years ago.
The
papal nuncio in Singapore, Leopoldo Girelli, has been the Vatican's
"non-resident pontifical representative" to Hanoi since 2011.
The vast majority of Vietnam's 93 million inhabitants say they follow Buddhist
traditions, but about seven percent of the population say they are
Catholic.
Catholic land confiscated since the end of French colonial rule in 1954 remains
a contentious issue between the church and state, and has led to demonstrations.
Talks and relations between the Vatican and Vietnam were
strengthened further when Pope Benedict met the head of Vietnam's communist
party, Nguyen Phu Trong, and top party and government officials in January
2013; it was the first time a pope had met with the general secretary of the
nation's Communist Party./.
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