On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son sent a message of condolences to the Vatican's Foreign Minister, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

During his lifetime, Pope Francis welcomed many Vietnamese leaders to the Vatican.

Vietnam - Vatican relations have achieved many positive steps forward in recent times, especially since the two sides established a regular dialogue mechanism of the Vietnam - Vatican Joint Working Group in 2009.

Since then, there have been many contacts and exchanges between high-ranking leaders of Vietnam and the Holy See. The most recent was the visit of the President of Vietnam to the Holy See in July 2023. In 2024, the Permanent Representative of the Holy See to Vietnam and the Permanent Representative Office in Hanoi came into operation.

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Photo: Vatican news

The Pope sent messages, instructions, and letters to the Vietnamese Catholic community, emphasizing the spirit of "a good Catholic is a good citizen", encouraging the Vietnamese Catholic Church to "contribute to national life, for the benefit of the entire nation in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation".

Vietnam is a multi-religious country with 27 million followers, accounting for 27% of the country's population, of which the Catholic community is growing strongly with more than 7.2 million followers.

Pope Francis, 88, spent five weeks in Rome's Gemelli hospital before being discharged on March 23.

He became leader of the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013, after Pope Benedict XVI resigned on February 28, 2013, marking the first time there was a Pope from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere.

"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sadness that I must announce the death of the Pope. At 7:35 this morning (12:35 pm Hanoi time), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father's house," Vatican television reported on April 21.

The Pope's remains will lie in state in St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing. The mourning period will last nine days, with the specific dates to be decided by the cardinals. Traditionally, a Pope's funeral is held four to six days after his death, in St. Peter's Square.

Images of people around the world remembering Pope Francis Many believers around the world gathered at religious sites to light candles to pray and remember Pope Francis.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-gui-dien-chia-buon-ve-viec-giao-hoang-qua-doi-2393701.html