Holy See-Vietnam Meeting Goes Well

(20 Feb 09 - RV) Officials from the Holy See and the government of Vietnam met earlier this week the first meeting of the Vietnam-Holy See Joint Working Group. The meeting was for the exchange of views on the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations. We have this report...


Full Text of Communiqué Released After Meeting

According to the agreement between the Vietnamese Government and the Holy See, the first
meeting of the Vietnam-Holy See Joint Working Group was convened in Hanoi from 16-17
February 2009. The meeting was for the exchange of views on the establishment of bilateral
diplomatic relations. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Vice
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Monsignor Pietro Parolin, Holy See Under-Secretary for
Relations with States.
At the meeting, Vice Minister Quoc Cuong emphasised Vietnam’s consistent policy on the
freedom of belief as well as the achievements and current situation on religious affairs in
Vietnam in recent years. Vice Minister Cuong expressed his wish for the Holy See’s active
contribution to the life of the Catholic community in Vietnam, the strengthening of solidarity
between religions and of the entire Vietnamese population, and the strong cohesion of the
Catholic Church in Vietnam with the nation through practical contributions to national
construction.
Holy See Under-Secretary Monsignor Pietro Parolin took note of the explanations made by
the Vietnamese delegation on the policy on freedom of religion and belief, recognising that
positive progress has been made in the religious life in Vietnam and wished that the remaining
unsolved matters in bilateral relations between Vietnam and the Holy See could be settled with
goodwill through sincere dialogue. Monsignor Parolin emphasised the Holy See’s policy to
respect independence and sovereignty of Vietnam, by which the Church’s religious activities
would not be conducted for political purposes. He also stressed that the Church in its teachings
invites the faithful to be good citizens, working for the common good of the country.
During the meeting, the two sides held in-depth and comprehensive discussions on bilateral
relations, including issues related to the Catholic Church in Vietnam. The two sides also
acknowledged the encouraging development in the relations between Vietnam and the Holy See
since 1990. The two sides agreed that the first meeting of the Joint Working Group was a new
and important step forward in their bilateral relations and greater efforts should be made to
further promote bilateral ties.
The two sides agreed to hold the second meeting of the Joint Working Group. The time and
venue of meeting will be agreed upon in due course.
The meeting of the Joint Working Group took place in an atmosphere of openness, frankness
and mutual respect.
During the visit to Hanoi to attend the meeting of the Joint Working Group, the Holy See
delegation will pay a courtesy call to the Government Committee for Religious Affairs and visit
Thái Binh and Bùi Chu dioceses, and other cultural, historical and religious sites in Vietnam.