President Võ Văn Thưởng meets with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin in Rome, Italy. — VNA/VNS Photo

ROME — President Võ Văn Thưởng and his spouse, together with the high-level delegation from Việt Nam, met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Thursday (local time) during his visit to the Vatican.

During the meeting, President Thưởng shared with Cardinal Parolin Việt Nam's foreign policy and religious policies, emphasising that Việt Nam continued to improve the legal framework for religious activities of the people and religious organisations.

President Thưởng expressed his hope that Cardinal Parolin would continue to pay close attention to the activities of the Catholic community in Việt Nam, thereby contributing to the positive development of the Việt Nam-Vatican relations.

Cardinal Parolin praised Việt Nam's achievements in ensuring religious freedom for all religions, including Catholicism. He also welcomed the role of the Việt Nam-Vatican Joint Working Group in enhancing mutual understanding and trust and finding consensus to address differences through dialogue.

Cardinal Parolin noted that Việt Nam was increasingly playing an important role in the Catholic Church, with over 7.2 million Catholics in Việt Nam and he expressed how the Vatican encourages the Catholic community in Việt Nam to actively contribute to the country's development and the missions of the churches.

President Thưởng emphasised the significance of the Vatican's role in global issues and expressed his desire for the Vatican to continue contributing to conflict resolution, preserving peace, promoting sustainable development, fostering unity, friendship, cooperation, and development among nations and religions worldwide.

The Holy See affirmed its support for all initiatives for world peace and expressed agreement in favour of peacefully resolving disputes in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982.

On the occasion of Thưởng's visit to the Vatican on Thursday, on the basis of the 10th Session of the Joint Working Group between Việt Nam and the Holy See on March 31, 2023 in the Vatican, and with the desire to continue advancing bilateral relations, the two sides officially announced that the Government of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam and the Holy See concluded the “Agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Việt Nam”. —  VNS