VOV: Do you think that religious activities in 2005 were more diverse than previous years, particularly after the enactment of the Ordinance on Religions and Beliefs?

Mr Thi: Yes, that’s true. Many religious ceremonies were solemnly held on a larger scale and attracted more followers than in previous years. They included the Buddhist Day, Christmas celebrations by Catholics and Protestants, the founding anniversaries of the Hoa Hao Buddhist and Cao Dai sects, and the Ramadan dietary month of Muslims.

In 2005, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha held a requiem for those who sacrificed their lives during the past two resistance wars and died of hunger in 1945. The Vietnam Episcopal Council organised the 27^th La Vang pilgrimage celebrations for Catholics. Catholic dioceses and churches across the country also held prayers for Pope John Paul II.

VOV: Notably, the ordinance provides guidelines to religions on how to stabilise their organisations. How far have you been able to apply these regulations?

Mr Thi: Religious organisations became more active through such activities as ordinations, appointments and rotations of dignitaries, monks and nuns, in line with their charters, religious regulations and national laws. Many religions consolidated their organisations by holding congresses. The Vietnam Catholic Church was allowed to split the Xuan Loc diocese into the Xuan Loc diocese of Dong Nai province and Ba Ria diocese of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province – the 26^th of its kind in Vietnam. Under the Prime Minister’s approval, the Vatican appointed new personnel for Vietnam such as the Archbishop of Hanoi Archdiocese and bishops of Ba Ria and Phan Thiet dioceses, and an assistant to the Archbishop of Thua Thien-Hue Archdiocese.  

Last year, the General Confederation of the Vietnam Protestant Church (Southern region) organised the General Assembly for the 2005-2009 period. After the Prime Minister issued a decree on work relating to Protestantism, Central Highlands provinces have regularly re-structured and recognised 14 eligible Protestant chapters, including 12 in Gia Lai province.

VOV: What were the notable external activities in 2005?

Mr Thi: At the beginning of 2005, the International Buddhist Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council invited monk Thich Nhat Hanh from France to Vietnam, where he organised several religious activities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, and Binh Dinh over three months. The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha sent a delegation of dignitaries to attend the 4^th International Buddhist Conference in Thailand and a belief dialogue forum among ASEAN countries in the Indonesian city of Bali. The Vietnam Episcopal Council was admitted to the Asia Episcopal Council, and attended the World Young Catholic Congress.

Recently, the Vietnam Evangelical Church invited Minister of the Vatican’s Missionary Works Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe to visit Vietnam, who then conducted a range of impressive activities in the country. In 2005, nearly 160 dignitaries, monks and nuns of major religions such as Buddhism and Catholics, were sent abroad for further study and exchanges. The representative boards of the Muslim community in Ho Chi Minh City and An Giang province were also given priority to develop relations with regional Muslim organisations.

VOV: In fact, some individuals and organisations intentionally do not understand or produce non-objective comments on the religious situation in the country. Do you think that they have not been provided with full information about religious activities in the country?

Mr Thi: We always promote religious diplomacy to clarify Party guidelines and State policy towards religions. We sent bilingual documents on the Ordinance to international organisations, issued documentaries featuring religious activities in the Central Highlands and North-Western regions, organised external exchanges, including with the Vatican, and attended international religious conferences. These activities have helped defeat the distortions and incitement alleging that there is no religious freedom in Vietnam. The fact is that many foreign individuals and organisations, after making fact-finding tours of Vietnam, said that religious activities have developed well in the country. We also co-ordinated with localities to prevent certain elements from abusing religions and beliefs to cause social disturbances and violate the law.

VOV: Thank you very much.