Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân meets with Pope Leo XIV. — VNA/VNS Photo

ROME — Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân, on Monday, during her working visit to Italy, paid a courtesy call on Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, highlighting the growing momentum in Việt Nam–Vatican relations.

Pope Leo expressed his delight at the meeting and noted the positive progress in bilateral ties, including the recent upgrade to the status of the Resident Representative of the Holy See in Việt Nam. He voiced support for further exchanges through the Việt Nam – Holy See Joint Working Group, aiming to strengthen cooperation in line with the aspirations of Vietnamese Catholics and the interests of both sides.

Vice President Xuân congratulated the Pope on his recent election and reaffirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to fostering relations with the Holy See. She praised the guidance and messages delivered by successive Popes to the Catholic Church in Việt Nam and called on Pope Leo to continue encouraging the Church’s engagement in national development.

The Vice President also conveyed invitations from Việt Nam’s leaders to the Pope and the Holy See’s officials to visit the country. In response, Pope Leo expressed his appreciation for the invitations and affirmed his wish to visit the Southeast Asian nation, aiming to demonstrate solidarity with the Vietnamese Catholic Church and community, and to further strengthen Việt Nam–Vatican relations.

The same day, Xuân held talks with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States. She proposed maintaining the effectiveness of the Joint Working Group mechanism and called for continued collaboration between the Holy See’s Resident Representative and Vietnamese authorities in fulfilling pastoral missions. Việt Nam will continue facilitating pastoral visits, she said.

Archbishop Gallagher congratulated Việt Nam on its socio-economic achievements and welcomed recent positive developments in bilateral relations. He appreciated Việt Nam’s religious policies and affirmed the Vatican’s willingness to boost ties and support future high-level exchanges.

The two sides also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern. — VNS