GOD AND STATE DRAW CLOSER IN VIETNAM

God and state draw closer in Vietnam

Published Date: February 7, 2011

The Vatican’s appointment of its first official representative to Vietnam signals a detente between the country’s communist rulers and the Catholic Church that could represent the first step towards establishing formal diplomatic relations. (Roberto Tofani, Asia Times Online)

Pope Benedict XVI recently named Italian Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, currently the Vatican’s nuncio to Indonesia, as its “non-resident pontifical representative” for Vietnam, extending his current position as nuncio in Singapore and apostolic delegate to Malaysia and Brunei.

Vietnam is among a handful of countries in the world, including China, with which the Vatican does not have diplomatic relations. The Holy See, located at the Vatican in Rome, speaks for the Catholic Church and is recognized under international law as a sovereign entity. In a formal address to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps, the pope said that the agreement to name a representative to Vietnam was a sign of improved religious freedom.



http://www.cathnewsasia.com/2011/02/07/god-and-state-draw-closer-in-vietnam/