Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang (R) and Archbishop Marek Zalewski, the first Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At the February 5 reception, Hang highlighted the growing ties between Vietnam and the Holy See, as well as the positive developments fueled by high-level visits and exchanges, according to Nhan dan (People) Newspaper.

She specifically pointed to the approval of operating regulations for the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam during President Vo Van Thuong's 2023 visit to the Holy See as a crucial milestone.

Underlining Vietnam's commitment to this progress, Hang assured Zalewski of full support from Vietnamese agencies, toward the shared goals of strengthening ties between Vietnam and the Holy See, and the Holy See and the Vietnamese Catholic Church, and fostering national development as well.

Zalewski, for his part, thanked the Vietnamese agencies for their support during his tenure as Non-Resident Special Envoy to Vietnam, and wished that Vietnam will continue facilitating his activities in his new role to fulfill the mission entrusted by Pope Francis.

He also vowed to contribute to further increasing high-level contacts and dialogues in the spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding, thus solidifying relations between the Holy See and Vietnam as well as the Vietnam Catholic Church.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang said Pope Francis’s appointment of Archbishop Marek Zalewski as the first Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam marks a historic moment in the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Vatican.

The Deputy Minister noted that Pope Francis’s letter to the People of God in Vietnam in September and the appointment of the Resident Papal Representative have opened up a new chapter in the relations between Vietnam and the Vatican in general and between the Vietnam Catholic Church and the Universal Church in particular.

Thang recalled that in the letter, Pope Francis urged Vietnamese Catholics to be “good Christians and good citizens.” The pope also noted that the intention of the Church "is certainly not to replace government leaders, as well as emphasized the spirit of great national unity and religious solidarity.

The deputy minister held that leaving disagreements and differences in history behind, Vietnam and the Vatican now head towards comprehensive diplomatic ties.

During his visit to the Vatican last month, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung also met with Pope Francis and held working sessions with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Vatican, VietnamPlus said.

He affirmed the policies of the Vietnamese Party and State regarding the guarantee of the rights to freedom of religion and belief, and updated on the development of Catholicism in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese side expressed delight at the new important strides in Vietnam-Vatican relations, and reiterated the invitations from the Vietnamese Party and State leaders to the Pope to visit Vietnam./.