Vatican appoints first resident representative in Vietnam
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Archbishop Marek Zalewski becoming the first permanent representative of the Vatican in Vietnam will contribute to enhancing exchanges between Vietnam and the Holy See.
On December 23, the Holy See announced that Archbishop Marek Zalewski was appointed by Pope Francis as the first permanent representative of the Holy See in Vietnam.
Archbishop Marek Zalewski has worked at the Holy See's Secretariat for Relations with States since 1995 and has worked in many countries around the world, including being appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe (2014), Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore and concurrently Non-Resident Special Envoy of the Holy See to Vietnam (2018).
During his time as Non-Resident Special Envoy to Vietnam, in coordination with Vietnamese authorities, Mr. Marek Zalewski visited and carried out pastoral activities in most dioceses of the Catholic Church in Vietnam and met with representatives of ministries, branches and local authorities throughout the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Vietnam-Vatican relationship has achieved many positive steps forward in recent times, especially since the two sides established a regular dialogue mechanism of the Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group in 2009.
Since then, there have been many contacts and exchanges between high-ranking leaders of Vietnam and the Holy See, notably between Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Pope Benedict XVI (2007), President Nguyen Minh Triet and Pope Benedict XVI (2009), General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Pope Benedict XVI (2013), National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and Pope Francis (2014), President Tran Dai Quang and Pope Francis (2016) and most recently between President Vo Van Thuong and Pope Francis (2023).
Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have sent Encyclicals, Messages, and letters to the Catholic Church in Vietnam emphasizing the spirit of "good parishioners are good citizens", advising and encouraging Catholics to live a good life and practice their religion, accompanying the country, and actively contributing to the socio-economic development of the country and localities.
In particular, the two sides basically agreed on the Regulations on the operations of the Holy See Resident Representative and the Office of the Holy See Resident Representative in Vietnam at the 10th meeting of the Vietnam - Vatican Joint Working Group (March 2023) and approved the Regulations during the visit to the Vatican by President Vo Van Thuong in July 2023, marking an important development in Vietnam - Holy See relations.
This is the result of a positive exchange process in the spirit of respect, cooperation and mutual understanding, while demonstrating the consistent policy of respecting and ensuring freedom of belief and religion, creating favorable conditions for the activities of religions, including Catholicism, of the Vietnamese State.
Archbishop Marek Zalewski becoming the first Permanent Representative of the Vatican in Vietnam will contribute to promoting the connection between the Holy See and the Catholic Church in Vietnam, and further strengthening exchanges between Vietnam and the Holy See.