The Central Theoretical Council in collaboration with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) held on November 2 a seminar on promotion of religious resources for national development in Hanoi.
The event themed “promoting religious resources in current development of the country” was co-chaired by Prof. Dr. Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council Tạ Ngọc Tấn and Vice President of the VASS Đặng Nguyên Anh, and attended by 30 researchers from the VASS, Vietnam National University (Hanoi), Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs and representatives from some religions.
The seminar drew 18 presentation papers by religious researchers across the country on issues relating current religious resources in Vietnam and how to gather these resources in the national construction process.
During the seminar, Prof. Nguyễn Quang Hưng highlighted that religion has been playing important roles not only in ethics, culture, education, health, humanitarian charity, but also in public health, tourism, spiritual services and economy in society.
Senior Venerable Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Executive Council Thích Đức Thiện, Dr. Ngô Quốc Đông from Institute for Religious Studies and Dr. Phạm Huy Thông from the Centre for Thought Science also shared about practical contributions of Buddhism and Catholicism in Vietnam.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Thanh Xuân from Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy also stressed the need for institutionalizing policies for promoting religious resources. For example, according to Article 55 under the Law on Belief and Religion, a religious organization shall be entitled to take part in educational, medical, socio-sponsoring, charitable, humanitarian activities in accordance with the provision of the relevant laws; however, the laws on education and health have no explicit provisions practically allowing religion to engage in the fields.
PH
