A Deft Bit of Papal Diplomacy : John Paul reaches out to Hanoi in audience with Vietnamese in Denver

As someone who was a young man when the communists came to power in his native Poland, Pope John Paul II has a special sensitivity to communism that goes beyond even the historical antagonism between differing ideologies. Thus his outreach to Vietnamese Catholics in the United States during his just-concluded trip had political as well as religious significance.

The Pope wisely is trying to improve the Vatican’s relations with communist-ruled Vietnam after years of ups and downs. Vietnam appears to be reciprocating, as it should. A representative of a government-run Catholic organization was among the thousands of Vietnamese attending the Denver audience with the Pope, the only one he granted to a particular ethnic group on this visit. The pontiff’s remarks were carried by Vietnamese radio and were clearly intended to reach out to the Hanoi government, which rules a nation where more than 10% of the population is Roman Catholic.

Catholicism has had a complex history in Vietnam. It is a faith brought by outside missionaries and held by only a minority; during decades of civil war the church grew to be the biggest landowner in an impoverished country.

But the faith has also been an anchor for those in exile. Among the thousands of Southern Californians who traveled to Denver for the church’s World Youth Day were more than 1,000 Vietnamese-American Catholics from Orange County. The delegation included priests who have helped parents instill in their children knowledge of the language, history and culture of a land many do not remember or have never seen.

The Pope’s message of “love for the homeland, for your own people’s culture and history” should have a special resonance. Also worth heeding by everyone, regardless of faith, were his condemnation of violence by the young and his plea for spiritual values.

Although often blunt, John Paul II chose to be indirect and avoid confrontation over issues like abortion when he met with President Clinton. In dealing with Vietnam, such deft diplomacy may bring rewards for both Hanoi and Rome.