Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng hosted on November 3 a reception at Ministry of Home Affairs’s headquarters for visiting Ambassador Pier Giorgio Aliberti, Head of the European Union (EU) delegation to Vietnam.
Joining the reception included officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.
During the reception, Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti had exchanges on the rich and diverse religious life in Vietnam with many belief and religious worshipping works bearing the mark of the national history and culture, as well as state efforts in preserving the current status and values of those belief and religious constructions over the past time.
According to Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vũ Chiến Thắng, Vietnam has many beliefs and religions, with over 26 million followers of religions and 29 thousand worshiping facilities. The Vietnamese government consistently respects and protects the right to freedom of belief and religion of all people.
The EU ambassador also had exchanges with the hosts on the demotion and the plan to build a new Bui Chu Catholic church in Nam Dinh province.
Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng (right) and Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti
The deputy minister informed the guest that the conservation of religious relics is governed by the Law on Heritage, the Law on Belief and Religion, and other related legal provisions, in order to both meet legitimate needs of religious followers and ensure the promotion of inherent traditional values of the religious constructions.
Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng also affirmed that the demolition of Bui Chu worshipping Church came from legitimate wishes of the Catholic dignitaries and lay people in the diocese. The diocese had created a technical construction file and its reconstruction has been licensed by Nam Dinh provincial authorities, he added.
The demolition of the church has beeb carried out in accordance with the law and under a close coordination between Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, Bui Chu diocese and concerning state agencies, he said.
The deputy minister added that Vietnamese government will continue guiding and creating favorable conditions for the diocese to early complete the church reconstruction project in order to meet religious needs of dignitaries and parishioners of Bui Chu diocese.
Deputy Minister Vũ Chiến Thắng presents a souvenir and poses for a group photo with Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti
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