Pope Francis received a delegation from the Communist Party of Vietnam on Thursday, part of efforts to improve strained ties between the Vatican and the Southeast Asian country.
The closed-door meeting follows efforts to restart diplomatic relations that were cut at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, when the Communist government expelled the apostolic delegate.
In July 2023, Vietnam and the Holy See agreed to a “Resident Papal Representative” for the Communist nation, after a meeting between President Vo Van Thuong and Pope Francis.
Polish archbishop Marek Zalewski was appointed to the job last December, after which Vietnam invited the pope to visit the country.
Vietnam has around six million Catholics, who make up roughly six percent of its population.
The Vatican’s equivalent of a foreign minister, Paul Richard Gallagher, said Thursday that the pope was “keen to go” but “there are a few further steps to be taken” before such a visit.
“Vietnam is an important country in the region, it’s a little bit of an economic miracle in many ways,” Gallagher said.
“We’re hoping to encourage them along the line of greater religious freedom, which they have in the constitution,” he added.
