Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Dương Hải Hưng. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

ROME — Việt Nam-Vatican relations have seen new positive progress, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Dương Hải Hưng on the occasion of the visit by President Võ Văn Thưởng.

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, the ambassador said in meetings of the Pope and the Vatican's officials with Vietnamese representatives, the Holy See side assessed that the two sides' relations were developing positively, and expressed their wish to further promote the relations with Việt Nam in the coming time.

He noted that on the occasions of the last Christmas and New Year 2023, high-ranking leaders of Việt Nam for the first time sent congratulatory messages to Pope Francis, and the Pope also asked the Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy to convey his Christmas and New Year greetings to leaders and people of Việt Nam.

Recently, at the 10th-round meetings of the Việt Nam-Vatican Joint Working Group, the two sides agreed on the content of regulations for the Holy See’s Resident Representative and Resident Representative Office in Việt Nam, the ambassador said, stressing that the result is especially significant after 14 years of negotiations.

He added that Việt Nam and the Vatican are taking the final steps to approve the regulations, thus lifting the bilateral relationship to the level of permanent representative soon.

According to the diplomat, the Vatican side is always willing to arrange exchanges and working programmes between Vietnamese delegations and the Holy See's competent agencies.

The latest one was the meeting between Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council Phạm Văn Linh and the Vatican representatives in June this year. In addition, the Holy See also regularly sends representatives to participate in activities organised by the Embassy of Việt Nam in Italy, which contributes to strengthening the relationship between the two sides.

During his visit to the Vatican, President Võ Văn Thưởng is expected to meet Pope Francis and the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Ambassador Hưng assessed that the positive development of the Việt Nam-Vatican relationship over the past time is in line with the wishes and aspirations of both sides.

In Việt Nam, the Catholic Church and over seven million parishioners will have better conditions to perform their religious practice following Vietnamese law, and in the spirit of "good Catholics being good citizens", Ambassador Hưng said, noting that this is also an important premise for the two sides to continue to work together to further their relations in the coming time.

Regarding the potential for cooperation between Việt Nam and the Vatican, the Ambassador said that the two sides are actively preparing to officially upgrade the relationship to the level of the Permanent Representative of the Holy See in Việt Nam. This is considered to be a historic step in their bilateral relationship, as well as an important premise to open up a new phase in which cooperation potential between Việt Nam and the Vatican will be exploited and promoted.

Deputy Foreign Minister Lê Thị Thu Hằng noted that President Thưởng's trip is the first high-level contact move between the two sides in the past seven years and a very important event for them to discuss measures to promote bilateral relations as well as Catholic activities in Việt Nam.

The Vietnamese State has followed a consistent policy of respecting and ensuring the freedom of belief and religion, creating favourable conditions for religious activities in general and Catholic activities in particular, she said.

On the Vatican side, Pope Benedict XVI issued instructions and messages directing Vietnamese Catholic dignitaries and followers to accompany the nation, become good citizens and contribute to the country, Hằng noted. VNS