Pope meets Vietnam’s bishops

(June 27, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday called for a healthy cooperation between the Church and Vietnam’s political community, assuring that the “Catholic Church in the country does not seek to replace the government.” Rather, in “its commitment to build a just, inclusive and equitable society, the Church wishes to take a fair share in the life of the nation, serving all people.” The Pope’s words came in an address to Vietnam’s 31 bishops who are in Rome for their 5-yearly so called ‘ad limina’ visit to report on the state of their dioceses. He said he feels it “important to emphasize that religions do not present a danger to the unity of the nation, since they intend to help the individual to sanctify themselves and, through their institutions, they want to generously and selflessly serve the neighbour. Touching upon other pastoral issues of the Vietnamese Church Pope Benedict underscored the role of the laity in the family. By teaching children “to live according to a right conscience in goodness and truth,” the Pope said, “every Catholic family becomes a source of values and human virtues, a school of faith and love for God.” The Holy Father particularly urged the Vietnamese bishops to take care of their youth, especially those from rural areas who flock to the cities in search of work and higher education. For these young migrants he called for a special pastoral programme with cooperation between home and host dioceses, to provide advice and ethical guidelines.