The fourth Congress of Vietnamese Catholics closed in Hanoi on Friday after two-day sitting.
A resolution was adopted at the congress calling for Catholics nation wide to positively contribute to national construction. Delegates to the congress also approved the revised constitution of the Committee for the Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics to ensure it conforms to the new situation. A new committee of 104 members was elected with Father Nguyen Tan Khoa as its Chairman and Father Phan Khac Tu, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the Committee.
In his closing speech, Father Khoa thanked the Party, Government, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Archbishops and Bishops for facilitating the success of the congress. Father Khoa said, "We share responsibilities in national construction with other people in all domains, including economics, politics, culture, society and humanitarian activities as well as pushing back social evils and negative phenomena. We’re committed to contributing to maintaining social law and order so that everyone can live in peace and harmony. Objectively speaking, over more than a quarter of a century after the war we have successfully built Vietnam into a prosperous and beautiful country. This achievement should also be attributed to contributions by the Committee for the Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics."
Later on the day, the new committee paid a courtesy visit to the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nong Duc Manh. The Vietnamese Party chief lauded the great contributions by the Catholics in the country’s process of global integration and building Vietnam into a rich country with a prosperous people and an equal, democratic and civilized society. Party leader Manh said, "The Party and State guarantee the freedom of religion in the framework of the country’s laws and facilitate all religions to unite in national construction and defense. Vietnam’s Catholics motto of "living the gospel within the nation and for a better secular and religious life" is practical and it should be respected."
Mr. Manh hoped the Committee for the Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics would rally Catholics from all walk of life through specific activities in national construction and defense. It will also serve as a bridge linking the Catholics with the Party and State.
Also on the same day, the committee members were received by Vietnam’s Fatherland Front President Pham The Dzuyet.