Pope Francis welcomes Vietnamese president

At a meeting with the Vietnamese leader on November 23, the Pope highly valued the country's socio-economic development achievements, along with its collection of public opinions before approving the Law of Belief and Religion. President Quang said Vietnam consistently respects and ensures the right to freedom of religion or belief of all people, he affirmed, adding that it has also continued to fine-tune the legal framework for ensuring that right. On this occasion, the President also met with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to exchange views on the Catholicism situation in Vietnam and Vietnamese-Vatican relations.