General Secretary and President To Lam meets with Vatican Prime Minister

On the occasion of attending the Future Summit and the High-level General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, on the morning of September 22 (local time), General Secretary and President To Lam met with the Prime Minister of the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

General Secretary and President To Lam met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA

At the meeting, both sides appreciated the positive progress in Vietnam-Vatican relations, notably the Holy See's Permanent Representative in Vietnam and the Permanent Representative Office in Hanoi, which came into operation in 2024.

The two leaders said that maintaining the exchange of high-level delegations and the meeting mechanism of the Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group plays an important role in promoting mutual respect and understanding.

General Secretary and President To Lam thanked Pope Francis for visiting and encouraging the Vietnamese people to overcome the consequences of storm No. 3. The General Secretary and President highly appreciated and cherished the good feelings of the Pope and the Prime Minister and Cardinal for Vietnam; emphasizing that in the past, Vietnam has facilitated the pastoral visits of the current Resident Representative and the previous Non-Resident Special Envoy.

The General Secretary and President expressed his appreciation for the messages, instructions, and letters from previous Popes and Pope Francis to the Vietnamese Catholic community, emphasizing the spirit of “a good Catholic is a good citizen”, and encouraging the Catholic Church in Vietnam to “contribute to national life, for the benefit of the entire nation in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation”.

Recalling his good impressions of Vietnam during his previous visit, Vatican Prime Minister Cardinal Pietro Parolin affirmed that the Catholic Church of Vietnam always wishes to accompany the country's development in the spirit of sincerity, responsibility and trust; affirmed that the Permanent Representative of the Holy See actively cooperates with Vietnam, and said that Pope Francis hopes to visit Vietnam soon, contributing to promoting the connection between the Holy See and the Catholic Church of Vietnam, further strengthening the Vietnam-Vatican relationship.

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