08/30/2014, 00.00
VIETNAM - KOREA - VATICAN
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Archbishop of Saigon: Pope Francis in Korea, a source of joy for mission

The president of the Vietnamese Bishops' Conference was a delegate at the Pope’s Asian visit. He emphasizes the Pope’s openness, dialogue and attention to reality of the Church in Vietnam. The bishop praises the dynamism of the Church in Korea and the strong presence of the laity and young people in missionary work.

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - "What struck me most" about Pope Francis' recent apostolic visit to South Korea, August 13 to 18, for the Asian Youth Day (AYD), was "the joy" that the Pontiff showed on every occasion. He is a person open "to dialogue, helpful, open-minded and curious, in particular with regard to Vietnam," the nation and the Church that Bergoglio is attentive to.

These were the words of Msgr. Paul Bui Van Doc, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City and president of the Vietnamese bishops' conference in an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), about the recent meeting with Pope Francis. The prelate was part of the delegation on the apostolic trip to South Korea, as a representative of the Vietnamese Church. "Throughout our conversation - he said - the Pope was at ease and relaxed."
In relation to specific events, the president of the Vietnamese bishops' conference said that "the Church of South Korea is a living, very dynamic Church [...] engaged in the proclamation of the Good News".And the clergy and the ecclesiastical hierarchy "show a great efficiency in the organization of the Church as in everything else."

A second element that emerged from the Archbishops time in Seoul is the "dynamism" of the laity in Korea, which far "exceeds" that of the Vietnamese; their role "is very important" within the Church and the whole church community. "There are a lot of young enthusiasts - notes Abp. Paul - who offered themselves as volunteers in the organization of the ceremonies." For this he invites the laity of Vietnam to participate "with renewed enthusiasm and dynamism" in Church activities, in particular with regard to "the proclamation of the Gospel".

Condemning the clericalism that is still pervasive in the Vietnamese church, the president of the bishops conference urges "priests to abandon this attitude" and the faithful, especially the young, to "cooperate more and more" in the life of the Church. Vietnamese young people who went to the Asian Youth Day, he says, participated with "great enthusiasm," although "in some respects less dynamic".

Finally, the archbishop of Saigon hints at a possible Papal Apostolic Journey to Vietnam, which certainly will not happen before "2016 or even later". He explains that Francis does not pose any particular organizational or ceremonial constraints, because "wherever he goes he feels at ease, satisfied and happy." But of course, he concludes, "the entire Church in Vietnam will have to take part in preparations" and areas of "sufficiently large" to accommodate a large number of the faithful would have to be identified.

 

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