Clouded with the worst crackdowns against Catholics in Vietnam, talks between Vietnam and Vatican diplomats have concluded without any significant achievements regarding the normalization of diplomatic ties except a “good basis for further progress”, and the agreement to meet again at unspecified date. In order to achieve the ultimate goal the bilateral talks was originally aimed for, Vatican diplomats have called for honesty as a necessary condition for fruitful dialogue.
Led by Msgr. Pietro Parolin, Under-secretary of State for Relations with States, the Vatican delegation met with Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Vietnam Vice Foreign Minister, on Monday and Tuesday. The Vietnamese government acknowledged last week that the talks were designed to explore "the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with the Holy See." However, it is obviously that conditions for the restoration of diplomatic ties have not ripen, especially after a difficult year, which saw Catholic activists clash repeatedly with the Communist regime over the ownership of Church properties that had been seized by the government.
On Thursday, Msgr. Parolin told reporters that, in fact, the talks have focused on basic principles for fruitful dialogue. In this regard, “we have already set up good basis for further progress," he said, admitting that it was impossible for him to forecast on how long the process would take to reach to diplomatic relations.
During talks, Vatican diplomats, in particular, have emphasized honesty as a prerequisite condition to improve bilateral relations. They seem to be frustrated with the way Vietnam government keeps its own words. On the 15th visit in last June, Vatican diplomats were still assured with promise of Hanoi nunciature being returned "step by step" from their Vietnam counterpart. Three months later, the government decided to bulldoze the building and converted it into a public park. It has become increasingly alarming that Vietnam government has shown a lack of willingness and capability to carry out international agreements.
The talks have also focused on rising Church-state tensions, in particular, the Church’s property issues, the aggressive public campaign of vilification against Catholics in the state-controlled media, the rights of Catholics to live in peace and the duties of the state to protect Catholics from attacks of state-sponsored thugs.
Vatican and North Vietnam interrupted their diplomatic relations in March 1959 when Archbishop John Jarlath Dooley, S.S.C.M.E, the then Apostolic Delegate to Vietnam, left Hanoi. A few weeks later the communist seized the Vatican Embassy. A similar incident occurred in 1975 when Archbishop Henri Lemaître, the then Apostolic Delegate to Vietnam was deported shortly after the Communist takeover of Saigon.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in 2007, and the two countries have since held several discussions on restoring diplomatic ties.
The issue remained sensitive due to various reasons. On the part of the Holy See, a primary condition for establishing diplomatic relations with a country is a certain satisfactory level of freedom of religion which obviously does not exists today in Vietnam.
For its part, Vietnam government seems still not be able to overcome the fear of being undermined by the Catholic Church. The “Armed forces and People” publisher has recently published various books depicting Pope John Paul II as having decisive influences in the fall of Communist governments in Poland and other Eastern European countries. These publications have been published in the wake of Catholic protests to alert communist cadres of the “peace evolution plot of hostile forces attempting to cause social unrest and divide the country, to interfere in Vietnam’s internal affairs, to undermine the country’s national unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
On Tuesday, Nguyen The Doanh, Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, spelt out the fear with a state-run media outlet. “The first important thing in the Vietnam – Vatican relationship is mutual respect, including respect for the sovereignty, history, culture, tradition, and laws of the Vietnamese nation,” and that “the Vietnamese Catholic Church ‘taking the same road as the nation.’”
“Should you expect to see any improvements in Vatican-Vietnam diplomatic relations in these talks, you would be very disappointed,” said Fr. Joseph Nguyen from Hanoi. “For now, nothing relating to diplomatic relations with Vatican exists in the vision of Vietnamese officials. Facing angry reactions against their notorious Human Rights record, they simply took these meetings as an opportunity to deceive the international community that they are willing to improve religious freedom conditions,” he explained.
Led by Msgr. Pietro Parolin, Under-secretary of State for Relations with States, the Vatican delegation met with Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Vietnam Vice Foreign Minister, on Monday and Tuesday. The Vietnamese government acknowledged last week that the talks were designed to explore "the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with the Holy See." However, it is obviously that conditions for the restoration of diplomatic ties have not ripen, especially after a difficult year, which saw Catholic activists clash repeatedly with the Communist regime over the ownership of Church properties that had been seized by the government.
On Thursday, Msgr. Parolin told reporters that, in fact, the talks have focused on basic principles for fruitful dialogue. In this regard, “we have already set up good basis for further progress," he said, admitting that it was impossible for him to forecast on how long the process would take to reach to diplomatic relations.
During talks, Vatican diplomats, in particular, have emphasized honesty as a prerequisite condition to improve bilateral relations. They seem to be frustrated with the way Vietnam government keeps its own words. On the 15th visit in last June, Vatican diplomats were still assured with promise of Hanoi nunciature being returned "step by step" from their Vietnam counterpart. Three months later, the government decided to bulldoze the building and converted it into a public park. It has become increasingly alarming that Vietnam government has shown a lack of willingness and capability to carry out international agreements.
The talks have also focused on rising Church-state tensions, in particular, the Church’s property issues, the aggressive public campaign of vilification against Catholics in the state-controlled media, the rights of Catholics to live in peace and the duties of the state to protect Catholics from attacks of state-sponsored thugs.
Vatican and North Vietnam interrupted their diplomatic relations in March 1959 when Archbishop John Jarlath Dooley, S.S.C.M.E, the then Apostolic Delegate to Vietnam, left Hanoi. A few weeks later the communist seized the Vatican Embassy. A similar incident occurred in 1975 when Archbishop Henri Lemaître, the then Apostolic Delegate to Vietnam was deported shortly after the Communist takeover of Saigon.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in 2007, and the two countries have since held several discussions on restoring diplomatic ties.
The issue remained sensitive due to various reasons. On the part of the Holy See, a primary condition for establishing diplomatic relations with a country is a certain satisfactory level of freedom of religion which obviously does not exists today in Vietnam.
For its part, Vietnam government seems still not be able to overcome the fear of being undermined by the Catholic Church. The “Armed forces and People” publisher has recently published various books depicting Pope John Paul II as having decisive influences in the fall of Communist governments in Poland and other Eastern European countries. These publications have been published in the wake of Catholic protests to alert communist cadres of the “peace evolution plot of hostile forces attempting to cause social unrest and divide the country, to interfere in Vietnam’s internal affairs, to undermine the country’s national unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
On Tuesday, Nguyen The Doanh, Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, spelt out the fear with a state-run media outlet. “The first important thing in the Vietnam – Vatican relationship is mutual respect, including respect for the sovereignty, history, culture, tradition, and laws of the Vietnamese nation,” and that “the Vietnamese Catholic Church ‘taking the same road as the nation.’”
“Should you expect to see any improvements in Vatican-Vietnam diplomatic relations in these talks, you would be very disappointed,” said Fr. Joseph Nguyen from Hanoi. “For now, nothing relating to diplomatic relations with Vatican exists in the vision of Vietnamese officials. Facing angry reactions against their notorious Human Rights record, they simply took these meetings as an opportunity to deceive the international community that they are willing to improve religious freedom conditions,” he explained.