2012-12-14 16:23:35

FABC delegates praise spiritual life in Vietnam


December 14, 2012 - Senior delegates gathered at the Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) have expressed appreciation for the spiritual life in Vietnam. The comments were made at a meeting between the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs and FABC representatives that included Special Envoy of Pope Benedict XVI, Filipino Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales and Cardinal Oswald Gracias, FABC Secretary General, in Hanoi on Monday. FABC’s 10th Plenary is taking place in Xuan Loc, Vietnam, Dec. 10 – 16. The two cardinals noted that FABC delegates were touched by the friendship and openness of the Vietnamese people. They said that Pope Benedict XVI knows of the Vietnamese Catholic community’s positive developments, and appreciated the warming relations between Vietnam and the Vatican. Pham Dung, the head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs noted that Catholicism has made many contributions to the construction and development of the country. He asked the delegation to convey his thanks to the Pope and the Vatican offices, wishing they would pay more attention to the Catholic community in Vietnam. Being hosted for the first time in Vietnam, the FABC plenary has brought together 122 participants including cardinals, archbishops, bishops and church representatives from Asia, Europe, Australia and the Vatican.
In the past there have been tensions for decades between Catholics and Vietnam’s Communist government over church property seized by the Communist and other issues, such as appointments of Church personnel. But relations between Vietnam and the Holy See have warmed in recent years with easing of restrictions on the Catholic community and exchange of visits by top officials. Pope Benedict XVI received President Nguyen Minh Triet of Vietnam in the Vatican on December 11, 2009, the first head of the Southeast Asian nation to visit a Pope. The first round of Holy See-Vietnam talks was held in Hanoi in February, 2009, and the last talks took place in the Vatican in June, 2010. Vietnam's some 6 million Catholics are the second largest Catholic community in Asia after the Philippines.








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