Attending the conference were Mr. Nguyen Anh Chuc, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs; Mr. Dang Minh Thong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province; Archbishops, bishops, priests, nuns and experts from 11 countries such as: Vietnam, the United States, Vatican, India, Bangladesh, Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar...
The conference was held to review 50 years of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences; share about environmental protection, social justice and migration activities in Asia and refer to environmental protection programs in Ba Ria Diocese.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang said that FABC is an organization that connects the episcopal conferences of local Catholic churches in Asia in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. With the aim of strengthening solidarity and co-responsibility among members for the benefit of the Church and society in Asia, FABC has made positive contributions to promoting the building of a truly incarnated local Church in the heart of the nation.
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang highly appreciated the fact that FABC has also thoroughly understood the current challenges affecting people globally, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, war conflicts in some parts of the world leading to the disruption of global supply chains, difficult economic growth, inflation, economic crisis with many potential risks and challenges...; the phenomenon of cultural encroachment has eroded the fine traditional cultural institutions of the peoples in Asia, which are the cradles of human civilization; the market economy along with the rapid development of information technology has also eroded humanistic beliefs, ritual traditions, ways of expressing and practicing religious beliefs.
Through forums, exchanges and discussions, FABC has demonstrated the determination of churches in Asia to journey and work together with the spirit of contributing more for a more peaceful , stable and better developed Asia.
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang emphasized that the consistent policy of the Party and State of Vietnam is to always respect and ensure the freedom of belief and religion of all people; to care for and create conditions for religious organizations to operate in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and laws; to promote good cultural and ethical values and resources of religion for the country's development process; to uphold the national spirit, traditions of humanity, tolerance and charity to build great national and religious solidarity... At the same time, the laws of the State of Vietnam on belief and religion are increasingly being improved, concretizing the Party's viewpoints and guidelines, the spirit and content of the 2013 Constitution on the freedom of belief and religion of all people.
Regarding the progress of promoting Vietnam-Vatican diplomatic relations, Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang said that on March 31, 2023, the 10th meeting of the Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group took place at the Vatican. The two sides had in-depth discussions on Vietnam-Vatican relations, including issues related to the Catholic Church in Vietnam.
Through this, an agreement was reached on the Statute of the Papal Representative Resident in Vietnam. In the coming time, the Vietnamese Government and the Holy See will announce the Statute of the Papal Representative Resident in Vietnam. This is a very important event in the process of upgrading the relationship between the two countries, contributing to opening up favorable opportunities for the Catholic Church of Vietnam in the process of deep integration with the Catholic world.
Acknowledging the contributions of the Catholic Church of Vietnam, over the past time, Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang acknowledged that the Catholic Church of Vietnam has actively participated in contributing to the socio-economic development of the country, especially in humanitarian charity work, healthcare, education, especially preschool education and vocational training; organized many charity classes, cultural enrichment for homeless children, poor, illiterate children, and children with disabilities; established a scholarship fund to support and encourage poor students to have the opportunity to study; awarded scholarships to students;
In addition, the Catholic Church of Vietnam has opened humanitarian clinics, care facilities for poor children, lonely elderly people, disabled people, victims of Agent Orange and HIV-AIDS; responded to the movement to build new rural areas, built inter-village roads, built bridges and built water pumps for poor people in remote areas; some parishes are model examples in protecting the environment and ensuring security and order in the locality...
Faced with the severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country, the Catholic Church of Vietnam has guided Catholic dignitaries, officials, and compatriots to effectively implement measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic; called on organizations and individuals at home and abroad, regardless of religion, to support hundreds of billions of VND and thousands of tons of necessities, medical equipment, masks, and disinfectants for epidemic prevention and control work. In particular, more than 1,700 volunteers, including priests, nuns, seminarians, and lay people, have joined the frontline of the fight against the pandemic; many congregations, religious orders, and parishes have voluntarily used religious facilities as centralized quarantine sites, collaborated with hospitals to bring patients from hospitals to religious facilities for care, etc., creating positive effects, recognition, and appreciation from the government and people of all walks of life, contributing to repelling the pandemic.
Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang hopes that the delegates attending the Conference will unify the vision of the Church in Asia in serving the peoples of Asia; through the role of the Church, there will be effective initiatives and solutions, suitable to the characteristics of the political and social situation of the countries to make important contributions to the common development of society for a prosperous Asia.
With the message "For a Church in Synergy" - the Deputy Minister hopes that Asian delegates and the Catholic Church in Vietnam will promote synergy in prayer and action, guide dignitaries and parishioners through many practical activities, comply with the law, affirm good moral values and contributions of Catholicism in the community.
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