Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Holy See, is scheduled to visit Vietnam from April 9 to 14, according to the Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam (CBCV).

This is the first visit to Vietnam by the Vatican’s diplomatic chief at the invitation of the CBCV, Father Joseph Dao Nguyen Vu, head of the CBCV Office, announced on Wednesday.

During his six-day visit, Archbishop Gallagher is slated to meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, and leaders of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

He will call at the National Pediatric Hospital in Hanoi, where cooperative programs with Rome’s Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital have taken place since 2005.

Archbishop Gallagher will also celebrate masses at the cathedrals of Hanoi, Hue City in central Thua Thien-Hue Province, and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as meet with representatives of the CBCV before wrapping up his visit.

According to the Vietnamese foreign ministry, Vietnam and the Vatican have taken many positive steps in their bilateral relationship over the past several years, especially since the two sides established a regular dialogue mechanism of the Vietnam-Holy See Joint Working Group in 2009.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed a nonresident papal representative to Vietnam.

Late last year, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Marek Zalewski as the first Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam. 

The appointment was made after the two sides reached an agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam at the 10th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on March 31, 2023.

According to the white paper ‘Religion and Religious Policy in Vietnam,’ released by the Government Committee for Religious Affairs in March 2023, Catholicism ranked second in terms of followers, boasting over seven million adherents, trailing behind Buddhism which counted more than 14 million followers, among the 16 recognized religions in Vietnam.

Other religions include Protestantism, Caodaism, Hoa Hao Buddhism, and Islam.

The white paper affirmed that all religions are treated equally under the law, with the state committed to non-discrimination based on beliefs or religion.

The document asserted that every citizen possesses the right to either embrace or abstain from any belief or religion.

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