VIETNAM: Vatican sends delegation to communist-run Vietnam to establish diplomatic ties

High-powered Vatican delegation meets with Vietnamese officials to help establish diplomatic ties with the communist country after decades of tension. After decades of tension, there has been rapid improvement in relations between the Vatican and the Southeast Asian country in recent years. Officials including Monsignor Pietro Parolin, undersecretary at the Vatican's Secretary of State, met with Vietnam's government committee on religious affairs on Tuesday (March 6), on the second day of a week-long visit. "I think that this is a very unique occasion because we are at the beginning of the lunar year. So this is an opportunity to renew our wishes and I will allow myself to do it with the words that our holy father used a few weeks ago greeting every Asian country in celebration of the Lunar New Year," Parolin said during the meeting. Relations improved markedly in 2005 when Benedict created a new diocese in Vietnam, where Bishops have been appointed through consultation between Hanoi and the Vatican. Delegates said the visit was scheduled before January's historic visit to Pope Benedict by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the highest-ranking Vietnam official to meet the Pope. The Vatican has called the prime minister's visit "an important step towards the normalisation of bilateral relations", and last month Vietnam's foreign ministry said Dung had assigned diplomats to conduct talks on a "roadmap" to diplomatic ties. Vietnam, which last year was removed from a U.S. blacklist of countries that severely repress religious rights, has about 6 million Catholics among its population of 84 million. Hundreds of Catholics moved from North Vietnam to South Vietnam when the country split after French colonial rule ended and became some of Hanoi's most implacable foes. Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen has said the warming of Vatican-Vietnam ties would be a good model to follow for the thorny relations between the Vatican and China.

ITN Source | March 6, 2007

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