HANOI - 19 February 2008 - 210 words
Vietnam: government stalls over return of confiscated church property
Hanoi Catholics are become impatient with
the progress in the promised return of confiscated church property.
A month of demonstrations ended on 1 February, when Archbishop
Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi said that the government had agreed
to return the old apostolic nuncio in Hanoi to the Church. That
day, protesters removed a cross and tent from a piece of land
near St Joseph's Cathedral and went home.
However, instead of returning the building, public workers repainted
the fence surrounding the site, strengthened the gates, and erected
new panels with communist symbols and slogans reiterating that
the building is state-owned. In addition, new security measures
were imposed.
The state-run media also continue to broadcast and publish anti-Catholic
stories.
Fr Paul Tran in Saigon said: "the
orchestrated campaign of state-run media attacks on Catholics
indicates things may be not as easy as expected." He feared
that "the government is going to put forward to Vietnamese
Bishops more conditions in exchange to the requisition of the
former nunciature".
He pointed out that the Vietnamese government has closely followed
China in its religious policies. It struggled to build a state-approved
Church, known as the Vietnamese Patriotic Church, separated from
the Holy See, but he said, this failed. "thanks to the fidelity
of the Bishops, priests, religious and lay people to Christ and
the Church."
"When Catholics in Vietnam dare to stand up for justice,
they get more popularity and the admiration of the oppressed which
are more and more numerous in Vietnam", said Sr Marie Nguyen.
An Dang
© Independent Catholic News 2008
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