Prime Minister welcomes Holy See delegation

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives a delegation from the Holy See, led by Under-Secretary for Relations with States Antoine Camilleri, Hanoi, December 18.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 18 received a delegation from the Holy See, led by Under-Secretary for Relations with States Antoine Camilleri, who are in Vietnam to attend the seventh meeting of the Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group.

The PM spoke highly of positive exchanges between Vietnam and the Holy See over the past and expressed his pleasure with the organisation of the Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group’s seventh meeting.

He said he believes that this meeting will mark important progress in the relations between Vietnam and the Holy See, satisfying the common interests of both sides as well as those of the Vietnamese Catholic community.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will continue to promote national solidarity and is consistent in respecting and ensuring the right to freedom of belief and religion of all people. He appreciated the active and effective contributions of the Vietnamese Catholic community towards national development, underlining the Government’s policy of encouraging and facilitating the operation of religions, including Catholicism, in line with legal regulations.

The PM urged the Holy See to continue its work on guiding the Vietnamese Catholic community to engage in national development, contributing to promoting the image of the Vietnam Catholic Church and fostering Vietnam-Holy See relations.

For his part, Antoine Camilleri asserted that Pope Francis and the Holy See are looking to further develop bilateral relations and encourage Catholic followers in Vietnam to be good citizens and actively contribute to national development.

He said the Pope has always paid special attention to Vietnam and wishes that the Vietnam Catholic Church will make more contributions to national prosperity.

Under-Secretary Camilleri thanked the Vietnamese Government for creating favourable conditions for the non-resident Vatican representative to work in the country, expressing his belief that the two sides will witness new developments in their relations.

On the occasion, PM Phuc conveyed Christmas and New Year greetings to the Vatican’s Pope Francis and Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. He conveyed his warm welcome to Secretary of State Parolin to soon visit Vietnam.