Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb 16, 2009 / 18:57 pm
A Vatican diplomatic delegation began its sixteenth annual visit to Vietnam on Sunday following a year of Church-state clashes concerning the ownership of confiscated church properties. One Vietnamese priest said the delegation faces “enormous difficulties” in its planned talks with government officials.
Arriving at the Archbishopric of Hanoi, the delegation was welcomed by Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, Auxiliary Bishop Lawrence Chu Van Minh, priests, religious and thousands of students, Fr. J.B. An Dang tells CNA.
The delegation was composed of Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Undersecretary for Relations with States; Msgr. Francis Cao Minh Dung, head of the Bureau of Southeast Asian Affairs at the Secretariat of State; and Msgr. Barnabe Nguyen Van Phuong, bureau chief at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
After a welcoming ceremony described as “very energetic and enthusiastic,” the delegation met with the archbishop.