Long queues of faithful are openly and freely honouring Pope Francis in cathedrals. An official paid homage to the late pontiff on behalf of the government by burning incense in front of the pope’s portrait at the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam (CBCV). While analysts are trying to read some hidden meaning in the two lines of condolence published in China by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the pope’s death showed where the seed of dialogue is already bearing much fruit, namely in China’s neighbour Vietnam, which offers a model for the delicate path relations between the Holy See and China could take.
The news of Francis’s death reached Vietnam on April 21 just as the country’s Catholic bishops were gathered for the spring session of their assembly. Quickly, a delegation led by the CBCV president, Archbishop Giuse (Joseph) NguyÅn Nãng of Ho Chi Minh City, left for Rome to take part in the pontiff’s funeral while the websites of the dioceses were filled with news about Pope Francis, stories from Rome, and the condolences from Vietnamese Catholics.
Spanish bishops speak out after leaks of their meeting with Leo XIV
The executive committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) meeting in Madrid this week, issued an official statement regarding the leaks
