At the meeting, the Vietnamese diplomat briefed participants on Vietnam’s socio-economic development situation, foreign and religious policies, and underscored the nation’s unwavering policy of respecting and ensuring people's right to freedom of religion and belief.

Vietnam's laws on religion have been constantly improved, offering favourable conditions for religions, including the Catholicism, to operate and develop in line with the Constitution and laws, Hang said.

She also lauded the Catholic Church in Vietnam for its active role in charity activities, education, health care and vocational training, while hoping that the Vietnamese Catholic community would continue to follow the Pope’s teachings and messages on "living the Gospel in the heart of the nation" and "good Catholics are good citizens".

In reply, Wachowski congratulated Vietnam on its recent achievements in socio-economic development and foreign affairs and showed his elation at the development of the Catholic community in the country.

Pope Francis expected that the Catholic community in Vietnam will follow the direction of "goof Catholics are good citizens" and actively contribute to national life, he emphasized.

Wachowski also affirmed that the Pope always pays special attention to Vietnam and desires to visit the country soon.

Both sides acknowledged the significant progress in Vietnam - Holy See relations since the previous meeting in March 2023. They concurred to intensify the exchange of high-ranking delegations and meetings, maintain cooperation and dialogue mechanisms, and enhance the important role of the Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working Group.

He thanked the Vietnamese Government and authorities at all levels for facilitating activities of the Resident Papal Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang hosted a reception for Under-Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See Monsignor Miroslaw Wachowski, during which he noted his appreciation for the outcomes of the meeting of the Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working Group.

Quang expressed his joy to witness that the relationship between Vietnam and the Holy See has achieved outstanding developments, especially shown by the joint efforts to officially upgrade the relationship to the level of the Permanent Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam, and the Resident Representative Office has entered operation.

The Deputy PM also highly appreciated the role and contributions of the Holy See to global issues such as promoting peace, reconciling conflicts for the happiness of people around the world.

With the hope that the relationship between Vietnam and the Holy See will increasingly develop well, Quang proposed that the two sides continue to strengthen high-level visits and contacts; effectively deploy exchange and dialogue mechanisms, especially the role of the Vietnam - Vatican Joint Working Group and the Holy See Resident Representative in Vietnam.

The Vatican officia agreed to continue promoting high-level visits to deepen understanding and consolidate trust between the two sides.

VOV