Vice Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) cum Head of the Home Affairs Ministry’s working group Nguyễn Tiến Trọng on September 28 visited and met Buddhist dignitaries of Tuong Nguyen Pagoda located in Ho Chi Minh City’s District No. 4.
At the welcoming reception, Venerable Thích Minh Phú, Secretary of the Charity Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s Chapter in Ho Chi Minh City cum Abbot of Tuong Nguyen Pagoda, informed the guest charitable activities of monks and lay Buddhists of the pagoda over the past months.
According to the Buddhist dignitary, during the 4th wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the charity team of Tuong Nguyen Pagoda in collaboration with lay Buddhists and other donors presented 18 ambulances, 50 oxygen ventilators and 1,000 oxygen tanks to hospital for emergency treatment of Covid-19 patients; sent 1.7 million free meals to hospitals, quarantine centers and check points in the city; donated 10,000 bags of medicines and thousands of oxygen bottles for home treatment of Covid-19 patients. These practical contributions have the total value of 150 billion VND.
Speaking at the visiting reception, Vice Chairman of the government religious committee Nguyễn Tiến Trọng spoke highly of charitable contributions made by monks and lay Buddhists of Tuong Nguyen Pagoda over the past months. The GCRA official expressed his hope the dignitaries and lay Buddhists of the pagoda would make further contributiongs for the Covid-19 prevention and control work in the coming time.
On behalf of monks and lay Buddhists of Tuong Nguyen Pagoda, Venerable Thích Minh Phú thanked the Government Committee for Religious Affairs for its visit and support extended to the monks and lay Buddhists of the pagoda. He also affirmed that the pagoda will continue encouraging and gathering supports from lay Buddhists and other philanthropies for charitable activities, and joining hands with the local authorities and agencies in the pandemic prevention.
PTT
