The meeting, held from 12 to 16 October, saw Vietnam’s 27 bishops cite Blessed Carlo Acutis as a model for evangelisation via the internet. Some 60 years since the end of the apostolic vicariates, the work of evangelisation in Vietnam still faces many limitations. Next year will dedicated to "Walking with young people in the family".
Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews/ÉdA) – Vietnamese bishops held their biannual assembly in Ho Chi Minh City from 12 to 16 October. The meeting was originally scheduled for April, but had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter released yesterday at the end of the assembly, the country’s 27 bishops called on the faithful to strengthen communion among themselves and spread the faith through social media.
To this end, the prelates cited the example of the Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old boy who died from leukaemia. He used the Internet as a tool of mission.
The bishops also noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the last apostolic vicariates and the creation of Vietnamese dioceses.
In 1960, the country was divided into 17 dioceses with 1.5 million members; now it has 27 dioceses and at least seven million Catholics.
Whilst acknowledging the limitations of evangelisation in Vietnam, the prelates thanked "God, source of all grace" and "our ancestors who offered us a precious legacy and did not spare blood, sweat and tears in the name of the faith.”
In 2021, the bishops want to organise a special year dedicated to "Walking with young people in the family”. The goal is to stress the importance of the family as a place where young people can learn about the faith, develop their relationship with God and foster mature relationships and social responsibilities.
Archbishop Marek Zalewski, Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore and Non-Residential Pontifical Representative for Vietnam, was unable to attend the meeting due to pandemic-related restrictions.