Pastor Bob Roberts: Every time I visit churches in Vietnam, I always have a positive experience.

With more than 20 years of experience in Vietnam, Pastor Bob Roberts has seen positive developments in religious life in Vietnam. He hopes to build a bridge between the Vietnamese Christian community and the global community.

During his visit to Vietnam, Mr. Bob Roberts - President of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE/USA), head of the International Evangelical Pastors delegation, had an interview with Thoi Dai Magazine reporters. He shared his deep feelings about the situation of religious activities and future cooperation plans after his practical experience in the past few days.

Pastor Bob Roberts, President of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE/USA), leader of the International Evangelical Pastors Group. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

What is the purpose of this visit to Vietnam by the International Protestant Pastors Delegation, sir?

Our visit this time has two main purposes. Firstly, Vietnam has a large Christian community, including Catholics, Protestants and many other Christian denominations. We want to connect the Vietnamese Christian community with the global Christian community. Our delegation includes religious leaders from India, Indonesia, Australia and many other countries, with the hope of creating stronger connections with churches, cathedrals and relevant ministries in Vietnam.

Second, we would like to invite international pastors to see firsthand the development of Vietnam. This is a wonderful country. I first came to Vietnam 30 years ago, when there were only bicycles and a few motorbikes on the streets. Now, cars and motorbikes are everywhere, and the cities are much more modern. We hope that through this visit, pastors will have the opportunity to learn about and meet the Christian community here.

Pastor Bob Roberts first came to Vietnam in 1995. He is the President of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), an organization that promotes freedom of faith worldwide. He is also the founder of Glocal Ventures, Inc. (GVI), a non-governmental organization based in Hanoi.

It is known that you have worked and cooperated with partners in Vietnam for many years. How do you evaluate the religious situation and the guarantee of religious freedom in Vietnam?

Every time I visit churches in Vietnam, I have a positive experience. The churches are vibrant, growing strongly and achieving many wonderful things. The stories of the development of churches in Vietnam are known all over the world. I am very impressed by the way believers understand the Bible, have a solid foundation of faith and live according to the teachings of the Bible.

I am particularly impressed by the community spirit of believers in Vietnam. They not only practice their faith but also become good citizens, contributing positively to the prosperity of the country.

I have had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis on several occasions and in some of our conversations we discussed Vietnam, which has a large and vibrant Catholic community. I expressed my wish that the Pope would visit Vietnam to witness firsthand the strong growth and vitality of the Church here.

The Vietnamese government has made remarkable progress in the field of religion. Since 2001, many legal documents have been issued to promote religious freedom and protect churches and religious organizations, not only for Christians but also for other religions such as Buddhism.

I appreciate the Vietnamese Government's openness and willingness to face challenges in ensuring religious freedom.

Religious freedom is an issue that every country must continually strive to improve. In the United States, we face unique challenges, such as discrimination or difficulty in establishing places of worship. This shows that challenges exist everywhere.

However, what is admirable about Vietnam is the Government’s commitment to addressing relevant issues. When problems arise, Vietnamese authorities respond promptly and make efforts to improve. This is encouraging.

I am working to share with the U.S. Government and the State Department the positive progress that Vietnam has made in the area of ​​religious freedom. Many U.S. diplomats working on religious freedom also appreciate Vietnam's significant progress in confronting and resolving challenges related to this area.

It is known that the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) and the Vietnam-US Association, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) signed the first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of religion 20 years ago. How have the results of cooperation between the two sides impacted the overall progress of bilateral relations?

I have been the President of IGE for a year and a half, but I have been involved with the organization since the early 2000s. I was able to witness the first MoU signing between IGE and the Vietnam-US Association, VUFO.q

President of the Institute for Global Engagement Bob Roberts (left) and President of the Vietnam-US Association Pham Quang Vinh at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding for the 2023-2028 period, November 9, 2023. (Photo: Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations)

The partnership between IGE and our Vietnamese partners is excellent. We are not only partners in solving important problems, but also close friends, building strong relationships based on trust and mutual respect. This gives us a deeper understanding of the experiences and efforts you are making.

IGE’s work in Vietnam has become a model that we are applying in many other countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Sudan, Pakistan… Vietnam is not only a place where IGE supports the promotion of religious freedom, but also a place where we learn many valuable lessons to share with other countries in the world. That is wonderful!

Can you share about upcoming plans to promote cooperation between IGE, VUFO and other organizations in Vietnam?

We signed our third MoU last year, opening up promising cooperation plans. In addition to religious freedom, we also focus on the aspect of religious responsibility, through the implementation of meaningful community projects.

A delegation of international Protestant pastors visited the Aquila Protestant meeting point (Quoc Oai, Hanoi).

We recently visited church-run rehabilitation centers that support drug addicts. In the future, we hope to strengthen our cooperation with these organizations and promote connections and exchanges between pastors, churches, government leaders, and communities in Vietnam and the United States.

We also had a meeting with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to discuss plans for an exchange program. We plan to invite about 100 pastors to teach philosophy and learn firsthand about life in Vietnam. In return, Vietnam can send scholars to the United States to teach about Christianity and introduce the characteristics of life in Vietnam.

We hope that through delegation exchange programs, the relationship between the two sides will be increasingly strengthened and developed in depth, creating meaningful and lasting values.

In an interview with Thoi Dai Magazine reporter, Pastor Jossy Chacko (currently living in Melbourne, Australia) highly appreciated the efforts of the Vietnamese Government in promoting religious freedom for its people.

Pastor Jossy Chacko (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

“Vietnam has made significant strides in demonstrating openness and willingness to dialogue on religious freedom. When I talk to Christians in Vietnam, they are optimistic and hopeful about the future of Vietnam, especially in the area of ​​religion.

The Vietnamese government has done a great job in establishing a legal framework for religious organizations to participate in international events, promoting dialogue and establishing specialized agencies to support in this area.

I have attended National Prayer Breakfasts in many countries and have seen Vietnam send representatives to participate in similar events. This shows that Vietnam not only learns from international practices but also effectively integrates those experiences into its policies.”

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/muc-su-bob-roberts-moi-lan-tham-cac-nha-tho-o-viet-nam-toi-luon-co-trai-nghiem-tich-cuc-208341.html