(Carol Glatz. OSV News)
The Vatican-Vietnam joint working group held its first meeting since last year’s important agreement allowing for a papal representative to reside in Vietnam and the establishment of an office there to support Vietnam’s estimated 6.5 million Catholics.
The meeting, held in Hanoi May 17, was co-chaired by Le Thi Thu Hang, Vietnam’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, and Msgr. Miroslaw Wachowski, the Vatican’s undersecretary for relations with states, who also headed the Vatican delegation, the Vatican said in a written communique the same day.
It said, “The meeting is the first to take place following the conclusion, on the 27th of July 2023, of the agreement between Vietnam and the Holy See,” which came after years of negotiations, and allows for a resident papal representative.