The 8th National Congress of Vietnamese Catholics to Build and Protect the Fatherland opens on October 12, 2023. (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)

Themed “Togetherness-Sharing-Service”, the two-day Congress will review and evaluate the performance of the previous Congress and develop directions and tasks for the patriotic emulation campaign among Catholics for the next five years.

Bishop Tran Xuan Manh, Chairman of the Vietnam Catholic Solidarity Committee, said Vietnamese Catholics are loyal to the direction set by the Vietnam Episcopal Council, which is “Living the Gospel in the heart of the nation to serve the happiness of compatriots” and following the advice of Pope Benedict XVI – "Good Catholics are also good citizens".

Bishop Manh said the Vietnamese Catholic community always tries to abide by the policies and guidelines of the Party, the State, and the campaigns launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, and civilized nation.

“We’ve paid close attention to communication to get Catholics to comply with the State's policies and guidelines and encourage them to participate in building new-style rural areas, civilized urban areas, welfare projects, and social charity programs,” said bishop Manh.

The committee encourages everyone, religious and laypeople, to contribute to national development and defense, uphold national pride, and participate in maintaining national security, Manh noted.

“We remind the younger generation to strive and engage and parishioners to participate in local affairs like donating land to build roads or contributing to scholarship and talent promotion funds,” according to the Bishop.