ASIA/VIETNAM - New hope for the Church in Vietnam in 2011

Hanoi (Agenzia Fides) – A new year brings new hope to the Church in Vietnam: testifying to this are the appointment of non-resident pontifical representative to Vietnam, Bishop Leopoldo Girelli, (who will also be the Apostolic Nuncio in Singapore, Apostolic Delegate in Malaysia and in Brunei) and the recent visit of Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, who was in Vietnam for the closing of the Jubilee for the local Church.
It was an event which will contribute “to the gradual normalisation of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” and will offer “new, concrete, positive signs for the Church's life in the Country,” comments a source of Fides with the Church in Vietnam.
The agreement for a non-resident pontifical representative is a determined step forward. Bishop Girelli will continuously visit the Catholic communities. His presence will serve to express the affection and pastoral concern of the Holy Father to the Vietnamese faithful, that they may sense the Pope's closeness to their problems, feeling encouraged and consoled in times of difficulty. The Church in Vietnam will draw a definite benefit and may look to the future with renewed faith and hope.
The visit of Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Special Envoy of the Holy Father for the closing of the Jubilee for the local Church, left the Vietnamese faithful with “a memory of gratitude, of joy that will long remain in their hearts.” The Cardinal affirmed that “the Pope loves Vietnam and the Vietnamese people.”
The visit occurred under the watchful gaze of the Virgin Mary, who protects and cares for the Vietnamese people: the Cardinal visited the Sanctuary of Lavang, where the Virgin appeared for the first time in 1798. There he blessed a new statue of Our Lady and the first building block for the new Sanctuary, authorised by the Government. This is also an encouraging sign for the whole Church.
Further, Cardinal Dias met with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the parties agreed to “give new energy to improving relations between the Holy See and Vietnam.” Today, in light of these events, there are great expectations on the part of the Vietnamese faithful, along with optimism and new hopes for the pastoral care of the community of 6,000,000 Catholics. The Church in Vietnam, for its part, exhibits a vitality, an internal dynamism and a missionary enthusiasm which leave the future wide open. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/1/2011)