Upon learning of the passing of Pope Francis, on April 21, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent a message of condolences to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son also extended his condolences to Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Holy See.

During his lifetime, Pope Francis received many Vietnamese leaders on visits to the Vatican.

In recent years, Vietnam–Vatican relations have made significant progress, especially since the two sides established the Vietnam–Vatican Joint Working Group in 2009 as a framework for regular dialogue.

Since then, numerous high-level exchanges have taken place between Vietnamese leaders and the Vatican. Most recently, the President of Vietnam visited the Holy See in July 2023. In 2024, the Permanent Representative of the Holy See to Vietnam and the Permanent Representative Office in Hanoi officially began operations.

Pope Francis delivered messages, homilies, and letters to the Vietnamese Catholic community, emphasizing that "a good Catholic is also a good citizen", and encouraged the Church in Vietnam to "contribute to national life for the benefit of the entire people in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation."

Vietnam is a religiously diverse country, home to 27 million followers of various faiths - accounting for 27% of the population - including a thriving Catholic community with over 7.2 million members.

Pope Francis was 88 years old. He had spent five weeks receiving treatment at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, before being discharged on March 23.

He ascended to the leadership of the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013 - marking the first time a pope came from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere.

"Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, with deep sorrow, I must announce the passing of the Pope. At 7:35 AM today (12:35 PM Hanoi time), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, has returned to the Father’s house," Vatican television announced on April 21.

The Pope’s body will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica for public visitation. A nine-day mourning period will follow, with the schedule to be determined by the College of Cardinals. In keeping with tradition, the papal funeral will take place four to six days after his passing in St. Peter’s Square.

Tran Thuong