By LiCAS.news
Catholics in Vietnam marked the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s election with a special Mass in Hanoi on May 4, as Church leaders highlighted unity with the pontiff, prayers for peace, and hopes for a future papal visit to the country.
The Mass at St Joseph Cathedral was presided over by Archbishop Marek Zalewski, permanent representative of the Holy See to Vietnam. Concelebrants included Cardinal Peter Nguyen Van Nhon, bishops from the Standing Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, bishops from the Hanoi ecclesiastical province, and priests from across the region.
The liturgy drew bishops, clergy, religious, seminarians, and lay Catholics in a public expression of communion with the universal Church.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the Augustinian Order, was elected the 267th pope of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, succeeding Pope Francis.
Before the Mass, Archbishop Joseph Nguyen Nang, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, said the pope’s mission is “to strengthen faith, build unity, and promote peace based on the power of the Gospel.”
He also recalled the teaching of St Pope Paul VI that the Church is called “to be present in the heart of the world not to seek power, but to serve humanity in humility and love.”
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