Vatican City, Jul 27, 2009 / 18:11 pm
A month after he expressed hope for a "healthy collaboration" between the Catholic Church and the Vietnamese government, Pope Benedict XVI has named three new bishops for Vietnam.
A Saturday statement from the Vatican announced that the Pope has chosen Msgr. Joseph Vu Duy Thong to be bishop of Phan Thiet, Msgr. Pierre Nguyen Van De to be bishop of Thai Binh and Rev. Joseph Nguyen Nang to be bishop of Phat Diem.
Two of the appointments were made to fill the offices of retiring bishops, the Associated Press reports.
There are about six million Catholics in Vietnam, one of the largest Catholic populations in Asia. Tensions between the faithful and the government have existed for years, with the government monitoring religious groups and insisting upon approving church appointments.