HANOI, Vietnam - A meeting between Christian leaders and officials of the Communist Vietnamese government has been heralded as “a small breakthrough for religious liberty” in that country. Compass Direct reports that five leaders of Protestant house churches and missions groups met with members of the government’s Institute for the Study of Religion on March 5 to attend a seminar and meet with members of the government’s Fatherland Front, an organization that often carries out religious persecution against Christians. The Christian leaders told Compass that “frank and sincere discussions took place in an atmosphere of mutual respect” at the meeting. The meeting comes at a time when reports of government persecution of underground house churches are increasing. In one province alone, over 400 churches were closed by the government during the last eight months, reported Compass.