On April 10, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra received Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher - Vatican Secretary of State who is visiting Vietnam.
The first Permanent Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam is a clear highlight.
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that Vietnam has 16 religions, 36 religious organizations and 24 million followers, accounting for 27% of the country's population. Catholicism ranks second in terms of the number of followers with about 7 million people.
"What is valuable is that religions and religious followers live in harmony, solidarity, attachment, and accompany the nation in the process of fighting for national liberation as well as in the cause of innovation, industrialization, and modernization," Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra shared.
Vietnamese Catholics have promoted their traditions and good moral and cultural values, contributing to the cause of national construction and defense, promoting socio-economic development and national renewal. These include positive contributions to the development of education, healthcare, poverty reduction, and comprehensive social security.
The Minister also highly appreciated the role of the Vietnam Bishops' Council in guiding and orienting the development of Catholicism in general and Catholics in particular to live a good life and practice their religion.
“To achieve these results, in addition to the efforts of the Party, the State of Vietnam, and the religious community, including Catholics, there is also the concern, sharing, and help of the Vatican,” the Minister of Interior emphasized.
Expressing her joy at the increasingly developing relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican, achieving many good results, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that the presence of the first Permanent Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam is a clear highlight for the good relationship between the two sides.
She thanked the Holy See's Foreign Minister for his important contribution to promoting increasingly good Vietnam - Vatican relations.
As the state management agency for religion, the Ministry of Home Affairs will pay attention and coordinate with the Vietnam Bishops' Council to create favorable conditions for the activities of the Permanent Representative of the Vatican in Vietnam.
Relations between Vietnam and the Vatican continue to be strengthened and upgraded.
Vatican Secretary of State Paul Richard Gallagher said that his visit to Vietnam this time is the result of a process of learning, negotiating, reaching understanding and sympathy. That is a process that has great significance for his visit.
Minister Paul Richard Gallagher expressed hope that, after the agreement reached on establishing a permanent representative, relations between Vietnam and the Vatican will continue to be strengthened and upgraded.
He affirmed that the achievements in the relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican are also a testament to the presence of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. That testament is shown through the recognition from the government and the favorable conditions for the Church to properly perform its functions.
That is to contribute to building the country, especially in caring for the poor and suffering, bringing love to everyone.
Minister Paul Richard Gallagher hopes that with the results achieved by both sides, new paths will be opened for the Catholic Church in Vietnam to continue to acknowledge its presence and commit to higher and further areas in the fields of health and education.
In particular, the bright spot in the educational activities of the Catholic Church is the agreement of state authorities to open Catholic Academy.
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasized that she will accompany and promote these two fields better on the existing foundations of dioceses and parishes, with the guidance of the Vietnam Bishops' Council.
The policy of the Vietnamese Party and State is to promote the socialization of the education and health sectors, thereby promoting the best values of religions, including Catholicism. The contributions of Catholics in the health sector are also imbued with humane and charitable significance.
The Minister of the Interior hopes that Archbishop - Minister Paul Richard Gallagher will spend time visiting dioceses, parishes, and parishioners to see the harmony, cohesion, and solidarity between religions in general and religious people in particular in the Vietnamese ethnic community.
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