February 25, 2009

Catholic Church activity in Vietnam is not political, says Vatican

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—A Vatican delegation told Vietnamese officials that the Catholic Church’s religious activities there would not be conducted for political purposes. Msgr. Pietro Parolin, Vatican undersecretary of state, led the delegation to Vietnam Feb. 16-17 for meetings with officials of the central government to discuss the possibility of establishing full diplomatic relations. The Vatican officials also visited the government committee for religious affairs, the Catholic bishops’ conference, and the Thai Binh and Bui Chu dioceses. In a statement Feb. 20, the Vatican press office said the latest round of talks showed that “positive progress has been made in the religious life in Vietnam.” It expressed the hope that unsolved bilateral questions between Vietnam and the Holy See “could be settled with good will through sincere dialogue.” Msgr. Parolin told Vietnamese officials that the Vatican respects Vietnam’s independence and sovereignty and that the Church’s religious activities are not conducted for political purposes. The Vatican official told them the Church “invites the faithful to be good citizens, working for the common good of the country,” the statement said.