SAN JOSE - 22 January 2008 - 190 words
California:
thousands shows solidarity to Church in Vietnam
Thousands of Catholics in California have been showing their solidarity
to the Church in Vietnam over the weekend, while tensions between
the Church and government over confiscated Church properties increased.
More than two thousands parishioners of
St. Maria Goretti in San José, California, attended a Candlelight
Vigil on Saturday to pray for the Church in Vietnam. In the Mass
concelebrated by five priests, there were special prayers for
Hanoi Catholics who have protested for more than a month for the
return of properties that belonged to parish churches, seminaries,
and the old apostolic delegation illegally seized in the past.
A slide show of ongoing peaceful prayer protests of Hanoi Catholics,
despite government threats hinting that a crackdown was likely,
caught the congregation's emotions. Many wept as they saw images
of Hanoi Catholics have been praying earnestly not only for the
justice to triumph but also for the conversion of those who have
been treating them as second-class citizens or even a national
security threat
"I feel proud of my brothers and sisters in Hanoi",
said a parishioner, "They have become increasingly vocal
about past and current religious freedom abuses". "Their
fight for justice is peaceful yet determined. They bear a strong
public witness of the Gospel's message even when they are forced
to stand up and confront with a brutal dictatorship system",
said another.
Parishioners including a large group of American Catholics signed
petitions to President Bush, politicians, and Bishops to urge
the government of Vietnam to meet certain benchmarks consistent
with international religious freedom standards and find equitable
solutions on returning confiscated properties to religious groups.
More than two thousand people also attended a candlelight Vigils
at St Elizabeth Church, Milpitas, lead by Fr Victor Tran and
at the Church of Our Lady of Assumption in Claremont, Los Angeles
Source: An Dang
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