Pope Leo XIV receives the vice president of Vietnam: the relationship with the Holy See advances

Pope Leo XIV received at the Vatican audience this June 30 to the Vice President of Vietnam, VO Thi Anh Xuan, a gesture that confirms the positive evolution of the relations between the country of Southeast Asia and the Holy See.

The Vietnamese president arrived at the Vatican at 10:00 in the morning (local time), and met privately with the Holy Father in the Apostolic Palace.

According to the Vatican, VO Thi Anh Xuan was subsequently received by Mons. Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations.

In a brief statement released by the press office of the Holy See, it was specified that during the colloquium in the State Secretariat “a great appreciation was expressed for the positive evolution of the relations between the Holy See and Vietnam.”

In particular, they highlighted the application of the historic agreement on the Pontifical Representative resident in Vietnam, signed in September 2023. For five years, the Vatican and Vietnam carried out a series of meetings to develop and deepen bilateral relations.

The result of these meetings was this pact that allows the Holy See to have a permanent representative in the country again, something that did not happen since 1975, when the last apostolic delegate was expelled by the communist government.

After the agreement, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Marek Zalewski on December 23, 2023 as a papal representative resident in Vietnam, the first after 50 years.

Mons. Marek Zalewskiwho is also a nuncio in Singapore, was authorized by the Vietnamese government to make visits to the country. However, after the agreement, a permanent office was opened in Hanói, establishing a representation in the country.

In addition to the papal representation, the agreement also allowed the opening of an office from where it serves the local Catholic community.

During the audience of this morning they also talked about the contribution of the Catholic Church to the Vietnamese society and views were exchanged on the socio -political situation of the country, as well as on regional and international events.

There are currently 92,784,477 inhabitants in Vietnam, of which 6,838,216 are Catholics, that is, 7.4% of the population, according to the statistics published by the Holy See.