Pope says Vietnam-Vatican relations 'very positive'

Pope Francis described relations between Vietnam and the Vatican as "very positive" with recent high-level exchanges.

"Vietnam is one of the very good dialogue partners recently. It is like mutual understanding in dialogue," Pope Francis said at a press conference on September 4 upon returning from a visit to Mongolia. "Both sides have the good will to understand each other and look to the future."

Pope Francis said that during his meeting with President Vo Van Thuong at the Vatican on July 27, the two sides had an open exchange, ready to increase mutual understanding and find ways to move forward together. "I see that the relationship with Vietnam is very positive," he said.

The Pope also recalled the visit to the Vatican by the Vietnamese inter-agency delegation in 2019, saying that the two sides had good discussions. "The dialogues with Vietnam are open and are gradually moving forward," he said.

Pope Francis at a press conference on the flight from Mongolia to Rome, Italy on September 4. Photo: AFP

Pope Francis has confirmed that he will visit Marseille, France and a small European country in the near future. "To be honest, it is not as easy for me to make a trip as it was at first. I have certain limitations when it comes to traveling," he said.

The Pope is prone to respiratory infections and was hospitalized for colon surgery in July 2021. He also suffers from sciatica, which causes pain in his legs when he moves.

The Vatican is the highest organization of the global Roman Catholic Church, a subject of international law, has the status of a state, and has the right to send representatives and receive diplomatic representatives of other countries.

Since 1990, the Vatican has annually sent a delegation of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to visit Vietnam to discuss pastoral issues of the Church. During the visit of President Vo Van Thuong, Vietnam and the Vatican adopted an Agreement on the Regulations of Operation of the Permanent Representative and the Office of the Permanent Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam.

Vnexpress.net