Bishop of Vinh Diocese was slandered on the state television system of lying, intentionally breaking the law, and instigating unrest against the government of Vietnam. More Catholics in My Yen, Nghe An would be arrested, state media outlets threaten.
In a 10 minute report on government television broadcasted on Sunday night 15th September, Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop of Vinh Diocese was accused of fabricating “everything” in an effort to turn a normal legal proceeding against two parishioners into a symbolic case of persecution against Catholics.
“During an interview with foreign media, Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop distorted the truth, falsely accused the government of Vietnam in order to turn a normal legal proceeding into somewhat they would call the persecution of the Church, and violations of religious freedom” state television reported.
The report went on alleging the prelate “took advantage of parishioners’ beliefs and their lack of knowledge of the law to instigate unrest, intentional breaking of the law and acting against the interests of both the nation and the Church.”
The media outlet cried out “no one can be above the law”, threatening more arrests would follow to restore the social order in Nghe An Province.
In another development, Ngo Ba Hao, vice chairman of the province’s Communication Committee sent an urgent letter to the bishop, warning him to shut down the Web site of the diocese or face legal actions as the Web site, according to his own assessment, is being operated without government's permission.
In fact, Vietnam government has never granted any permission to Church institutions. Due to pastoral needs, dioceses in Vietnam run their Web site at the risk of being prosecuted at any time.
The entire Vietnamese Catholic Church, both domestic and in diaspora, has shown full support to the Diocese of Vinh in its defiant responses to recent defamatory attacks by government media, defending the good name of its bishop and the integrity and safety of its religious community.
Stressing the calm attitude and honesty of Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, who is also chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, the diocesan curia accused government newspapers and TV stations of "manipulating the truth," stirring up minds, "complicating the issues" and causing "offence and outrage" among people.
A violent crackdown in recent days against peaceful protests in Nghe An province is at the origin of the clash between local authorities and the Catholic community. This came after hundreds of Catholics had taken to the streets to demand the release of two co-religionists who have been in jail for defending their rights to worship against plainclothes police harassment since last June without formal charges against them.
Catholics in Vietnam and abroad all concern that bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop would soon face more character assassinations and eventually would end up being pressured to resign as in the case of Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi who had been slandered publicly in state media outlets for years since August 2008. Intense pressure mounted to his early retirement on May 13, 2010.
In a 10 minute report on government television broadcasted on Sunday night 15th September, Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop of Vinh Diocese was accused of fabricating “everything” in an effort to turn a normal legal proceeding against two parishioners into a symbolic case of persecution against Catholics.
“During an interview with foreign media, Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop distorted the truth, falsely accused the government of Vietnam in order to turn a normal legal proceeding into somewhat they would call the persecution of the Church, and violations of religious freedom” state television reported.
The report went on alleging the prelate “took advantage of parishioners’ beliefs and their lack of knowledge of the law to instigate unrest, intentional breaking of the law and acting against the interests of both the nation and the Church.”
The media outlet cried out “no one can be above the law”, threatening more arrests would follow to restore the social order in Nghe An Province.
In another development, Ngo Ba Hao, vice chairman of the province’s Communication Committee sent an urgent letter to the bishop, warning him to shut down the Web site of the diocese or face legal actions as the Web site, according to his own assessment, is being operated without government's permission.
In fact, Vietnam government has never granted any permission to Church institutions. Due to pastoral needs, dioceses in Vietnam run their Web site at the risk of being prosecuted at any time.
The entire Vietnamese Catholic Church, both domestic and in diaspora, has shown full support to the Diocese of Vinh in its defiant responses to recent defamatory attacks by government media, defending the good name of its bishop and the integrity and safety of its religious community.
Stressing the calm attitude and honesty of Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, who is also chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, the diocesan curia accused government newspapers and TV stations of "manipulating the truth," stirring up minds, "complicating the issues" and causing "offence and outrage" among people.
A violent crackdown in recent days against peaceful protests in Nghe An province is at the origin of the clash between local authorities and the Catholic community. This came after hundreds of Catholics had taken to the streets to demand the release of two co-religionists who have been in jail for defending their rights to worship against plainclothes police harassment since last June without formal charges against them.
Catholics in Vietnam and abroad all concern that bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop would soon face more character assassinations and eventually would end up being pressured to resign as in the case of Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi who had been slandered publicly in state media outlets for years since August 2008. Intense pressure mounted to his early retirement on May 13, 2010.