Au Co egg sac

(Baonghean) - The recent visit to the United States by President Truong Tan Sang not only marked a new historical page in the relationship between the two countries but also had a special significance: For the first time, the delegation included religious dignitaries. This event demonstrated the Party and State's concern for religious organizations and activities, and at the same time changed the one-sided and distorted views of some international organizations on the issue of freedom of religion and belief in Vietnam.

In an interview with Viet Weekly newspaper in front of Vietnamese expatriates living in the US, Most Venerable Thich Giac Toan, Vice President of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, acknowledged the efforts of the Party and the Government in creating favorable conditions for religious organizations and religious activities. The evidence is that the Ordinances on Religion issued since 1985 have been constantly amended to suit the development of religion and belief in Vietnam.

Under the attention of the Party and the State, Buddhism in Vietnam has developed more and more strongly. If in the 80s and 90s, the whole country had less than 10 intermediate schools to train monks and nuns, now there are 32 intermediate schools, 8 colleges, 4 academies training intermediate, college and bachelor of Buddhist studies. Since then, nearly 15,000 monks have graduated from intermediate level, more than 3,000 have graduated from bachelor and about 500 monks and nuns have been trained for master and doctorate degrees abroad.

Most Venerable Thich Thien Tam, Vice President of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, proudly said that the Buddhist community in the region (Myanmar, Cambodia,...) always expressed their admiration for Vietnam, a country that harmonizes all Buddhist colors. The successful unification of Buddhism helps promote solidarity between Southern and Northern Buddhism so that Vietnamese Buddhism can develop in harmony, bringing happiness and joy to the people and contributing to the country's development. These are the most convincing evidences for the strong development and freedom of belief in Vietnam, under the attention and facilitation of the Party and State.

Right in Nghe An province, besides Buddhism, Catholicism is a religion that appeared very early and consistently accompanied the nation with its ideology. Great contributions to the economic development of the province such as restoring the Xa Doai orange variety, preserving the Banh Chung (Yen Thanh) and Bun Banh (Nam Dan) craft villages, exporting labor (Nghi Loc)... demonstrate the direction of "living the gospel in the heart of the nation". The development of Catholicism in Nghe An is partly thanks to the supportive policies of the authorities at all levels, for example, the erection of a statue of Saint Anthony in Nghi Loc, the expansion of parishes and churches, and the construction of churches...

Obviously, the relationship between the Vietnamese religious community and the Party and the State is not as tense as some people perceive. In the development of religion, the efforts of the Party and the Government cannot be denied, and conversely, the religious community contributes significantly to the construction and development of the country. After all, followers of Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism or Christianity, Cao Dai, etc. are also Vietnamese people, living under Vietnamese law and protected by the Vietnamese State. Just as Vietnamese people can be Kinh, Thai, Khmu, Hmong, etc. Or Vietnamese people can be from the North, Central, or South; from rural or urban areas, from the plains or the mountains... All were born from the egg of Mother Au Co.

A community cannot exist without tolerating and harmonizing differences: This is the law of every society. So who is responsible for the mission of harmonizing differences (even conflicts) between small communities? It is the Party and the State, “people” who have the right and obligation, together with Gods, Buddhas, Lords, and Saints, to take care of the spiritual and material lives of their compatriots. Returning to President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to the United States, he announced that he would invite the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief to Vietnam in 2014. This is Vietnam’s most sincere and clear answer to previous doubts about the religious situation in the country.

Hai Trieu