Vatican and Vietnam to Formalize Relations?

A Vatican delegation’s recent visit to Vietnam resulted in the two nations examining ways to normalize full diplomatic relations, Reuters reported.

The Vatican said a delegation led by one of its senior diplomats, Msgr. Pietro Parolin, was assured that Vietnam was examining ways to move ahead after decades of tension. This was a direct result of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s meeting with Pope Benedict at the Vatican in January.

A Vatican statement said its delegation and their Vietnamese counterparts expressed confidence they could overcome lingering problems.

Liberation Theologian Receives Criticism

The Vatican March 14 condemned the writings of Jesuit Father Jon Sobrino, left, a well-known champion of liberation theology, as “erroneous or dangerous,” reported the Associated Press. The judgment by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith “deals specifically with the works, not with the person,” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said. No immediate disciplinary action against Father Sobrino was taken.

Father Lombardi added, “Other sanctions, such as whether the person could teach or not, is an open question to be dealt with by the competent authorities’ offices.”

TV Network to Be Launched in ‘07

The launch of H2O, the Vatican’s first television network, will take place by the end of the year, according to Reuters.

H2O will broadcast news and original entertainment programming worldwide in seven languages, according to a statement.

In a March 9 speech to the Vatican’s communications department last Friday, Pope Benedict said, “Undoubtedly, much of great benefit to civilization is contributed by the various components of the mass media. On the other hand, it is also readily apparent that much of what is transmitted in various forms to the homes of millions of families around the world is destructive.”