“A diplomatic liaison bridge so that the Vietnamese Church can develop various activities to meet the needs of the social community”.
On 23 December 2023, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Marek Zalewski, Apostolic Nuncio in Singapore, as Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam. This is the first time the Pontiff has appointed his own Resident Representative in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The news agency Fides (Pontifical Mission Societies) had announced that the Holy See and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on Thursday 27 July, had reached an Agreement on the Status of the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative of the Holy See in Vietnam. The agreement had been signed during the visit of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to the Vatican, on the basis of what had been agreed during the 10th session of the Vietnam-Saint See Joint Working Group held on March 31 in the Vatican. On the afternoon of Thursday, 27 July, President Vo Van Thuong had talks with Pope Francis and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
Mgr Zalewski chose the motto ‘Lumen vitae Christus’ (Christ, the life-giving light) as the motto of his episcopal ministry. In addition to his mother tongue, Polish, Mgr Zalewski is also fluent in Italian and English. He also speaks French, German and Spanish.
As the Holy Father wrote in his Letter to the Vietnamese Catholic Community on 8 September 2023, this good result ‘is based on mutual trust built step by step over many years’ and ‘thanks to the look, similarities are accepted and differences are respected’. with the aim of “working together to find the best way to serve the good of the Vietnamese people and the Church”.
So reads the communiqué signed by the President of the Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference, Mgr Giuse Nguyen Nang, of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh.
“We believe that, in his permanent capacity, the Archbishop Vicar of the Holy See will be a clearer and more visible sign of communion between the Vietnamese Church and the Pope, and at the same time he will also become a diplomatic liaison bridge so that the Church can develop various activities to meet the needs of the social community.
We thank God and are happy to welcome Archbishop Marek Zalewski to Vietnam and to stay with us in his new mission.
“We wish all the Cardinals, Bishops and the entire community of the People of God a Christmas full of grace and a peaceful and holy year 2024”.
