Archbishop Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, has embarked on a visit to Vietnam, where he will meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and foreign minister Bui Thanh Son.
The archbishop has said that he hopes the trip will advance bilateral relations. Vietnam broke off diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1975, but after years of talks, last December, Archbishop Marek Zalewski, the apostolic nuncio in Singapore, was appointed the official pontifical representative in Vietnam.
During a 5-day stay in Vietnam, Archbishop Gallagher will visit a seminary in the Hue province, and preside at Eucharistic celebrations in the cathedrals of Hue and Hanoi.