VZCZCXRO9743
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHDT RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW
RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPB RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHROV #0025/01 0261453
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261453Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0638
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0666

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL VT VM
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE:  VISIT OF VIETNAMESE PRIME MINISTER 
 
 
VATICAN 00000025  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  Vietnamese PM Dung met Pope Benedict XVI and 
other senior Holy See officials January 25, the first meeting of 
its kind.  The meeting appears to have gone well and there is 
hope for full diplomatic relations in the near future.  The Holy 
See has sent a steady stream of important visitors to Vietnam 
over the years and has been impressed by the improved climate 
for religious freedom there.  The USG decision to remove Vietnam 
from the list of Countries of Particular Concern helped 
influence the Vatican's action.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met Pope 
Benedict XVI at the Vatican for about half an hour on January 
25, the first time any pope had ever received a leader of 
socialist Vietnam.  Dung subsequently met the Holy See's 
Secretary of State (prime minister-equivalent), Cardinal 
 
SIPDIS 
Tarcisio Bertone, and Secretary for Relations with States (i.e., 
foreign minister) Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.   Dung was 
accompanied by an eight-member delegation which included four 
ministers and Ngo Yen Thi,. head of Vietnam's Commission for 
Religious Affairs. 
 
Holy See Satisfied 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) The Holy See issued a statement after the meeting 
expressing its satisfaction with the visit, saying that it 
marked "a new and important step toward the normalization of 
bilateral relations" and noting that those relations in recent 
years have made "concrete progress opening new spaces of 
religious freedom" for the Church in Vietnam.  The communique 
also noted the Holy See's hope that remaining problems would be 
resolved through existing channels of dialogue, and looked 
forward to fruitful cooperation between Church and State so that 
Catholics could make an increasingly effective and positive 
contribution to the common good of Vietnam -- promoting moral 
values, spreading a culture of solidarity, and helping the poor. 
 The statement added that opinions were exchanged on the current 
international situation, with a view to joint commitment for 
peace and negotiated solutions to serious world problems. 
 
Diplomatic Relations Coming? 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) A spokesman for the Vietnamese delegation told the press 
that the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam 
and the Holy See would depend directly on the outcome of the 
meeting.  Journalists present at the public portion of the 
meeting described the atmosphere as particularly cordial.  The 
archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Cardinal Pham Minh Man, 
predicted that formal diplomatic relations would be established 
soon. 
 
Warming Trend in Recent Years 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (U) Pope John Paul II had indicated interest in visiting 
Vietnam in 1998, but was rebuffed by the government.  The Holy 
See has sent numerous delegations to Vietnam on a regular basis 
in recent years, including that of Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe in 
November 2005, during which the cardinal ordained 57 new priests 
in Hanoi.  The absence of a Chinese-style Catholic Patriotic 
Association in Vietnam facilitated a modus vivendi for the 
Church, helping to avoid bitter clashes over episcopal 
nominations.  When Pope John Paul died in 2005, the Vatican took 
note of Vietnam's decision to send condolences from then-Prime 
Minister Pham Van Khai to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and also set 
up viewing facilities in Hanoi for local Catholics to see the 
funeral. 
 
¶6. (U) The archbishop of Bordeaux, Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, 
led a group of French bishops to Vietnam a few weeks ago at the 
invitation of the Vietnamese bishops' conference.  Archbishop 
Bernard-Nicolas Aubertin of Tours, a member of that group, told 
Vatican journalists this week that his group had been warmly 
welcomed by a succession of Vietnamese clergy, and described 
their meetings as genuinely free and fraternal.  Aubertin's 
visit was his eighth in the past 16 years, and he spoke of 
"enormous changes" in Vietnam, including authorization for some 
seminaries to open, restoration of some Church property, and 
limited permission to build churches and conduct ordinations. 
While mindful of the distance yet to be traveled, he contrasted 
Vietnam's dismissive attitude 15 years ago -- when Mother 
Teresa's offer to send volunteers was curtly rejected -- with 
today's situation, where religious communities in Vietnam are 
profoundly involved in helping handicapped people, orphans, and 
children of lepers. 
 
Comment 
-------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Holy See Deputy FM Parolin -- who himself visited 
Vietnam in May 2004 -- told us recently that the USG's decision 
 
VATICAN 00000025  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
to remove Vietnam from the annual list of Countries of 
Particular Concern (for religious freedom) had been influential 
in the Holy See's decision to move forward with Vietnam. 
Vietnam's accession to the WTO was also important.  Post will 
report further on January 29 after meeting relevant Vatican 
officials. 
SANDROLINI