The Catholic faithful in Vietnam eagerly await a visit from Pope Francis, according to Bishop Louis Nguyen Anh Tuan of Ha Tinh, in an interview with AsiaNews.
Discussions are ongoing regarding the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Holy See, with hopes for a positive outcome.
“The expectation for the pontiff’s arrival in the country is strong,” Bishop Anh Tuan told AsiaNews. He revealed that the Vietnamese government has proposed signing the diplomatic agreement during a potential papal visit.
“The authorities in Hanoi believe in it a lot, and already a couple of times the former president— a position renewed in recent days with the parliamentary vote that ended with the election of Luong Cuong— has gone to the pope to renew the formal invitation,” he said.
Bishop Anh Tuan emphasized that faith and spirituality “are still very important elements” in Vietnam, where the cult of ancestors remains a significant tradition.
While secularization has influenced Western societies, he said it “has not yet taken hold” in Vietnam. He believes that Pope Francis’s visit would inspire the country’s Christian community further.
“I am confident,” he added, “that next year there will be an official signature and the Pontiff will be able to come on an official visit,” crediting the progress to the efforts of the Holy See’s envoys, including Cardinal Roger Etchegaray in 1989 and more recently, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.
Vietnam has often been cited as a model for improving Vatican relations with China. However, Bishop Anh Tuan cautioned against drawing direct comparisons.
“China is Vietnam’s older brother,” he said, adding that it is unrealistic to expect Beijing to “start imitating Hanoi.”
He highlighted the differences, noting, “Vietnam is a smaller and much weaker reality in relations with other countries. China is a strong nation on a political and diplomatic level, and for this reason, it is not credible that they should imitate us.”
He sees Vietnam’s diplomatic steps as “positive” because they bring the nation closer “to the United States, to the West, who will look at Vietnam with greater sympathy and affection.”
