(Bloomberg) -- A Vatican official said Pope Francis wants to travel to Vietnam ‘soon’ after an invitation to visit the Communist nation by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to a statement on Vietnam’s government website.
A papal visit would further underscore improving previously strained relations between the Vatican and Vietnam.
Chinh met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin during the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, the statement said.
“Cardinal Pietro Parolin has happily accepted the invitation and said that Pope Francis hopes to visit Vietnam soon,” according to Vietnam’s government.
The Holy See named Archbishop Marek Zalewski as the resident papal ambassador to Vietnam last year. Zalewski was based in Singapore as the non-resident representative to Vietnam since 2018 and made working trips to the country with government approval.
Read: Vatican Names Resident Papal Envoy for Vietnam as Ties Improve
Vietnam broke ties with the Vatican after communists swept into power at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
Based on a 2019 census, there are nearly six million Catholics in Vietnam, about 6.1% of the population. The government restricts the number of parishes and requires a yearly plan of religious activities, the Union of Catholic Asian News reported in 2023.
Read: Pope Meets for First Time with Communist Leader of Vietnam
--With assistance from Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen.
(Updates with more details throughout the story. Earlier version corrected spelling of Rio de Janeiro.)
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