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At first glance, the meeting between Vietnam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet and Pope Benedict XVI failed to meet expectations. The two key achievements hoped for by Vietnamese Church leaders — a papal visit to Vietnam and the establishment of Vietnam-Holy See diplomatic ties — did not materialize. (Gerard O’Connell, UCA News)
Nevertheless, there are good reasons for the upbeat Vatican assessment of the meeting as “a significant stage in the progress of bilateral relations.”
Firstly, it was the first time that a president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has met a Pope since the Communists took power in 1975.
Secondly, the presidential visit showed that, while there was no announcement that the Pope would visit Vietnam to mark the end of the local Church’s Jubilee Year on Jan. 6, 2011, the Vietnamese have not backtracked on their intention to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
FULL STORY
Friendship blossoms between Holy See and Vietnam (UCA News)
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