Hanoi, Feb. 19, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Catholics in Hanoi are voicing concerns about the Vietnamese government's commitment to honor its promise that the old offices of the apostolic nuncio will be returned to the Church.
In a public statement on February 1, Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi confirmed reports that the government had agreed to restore the nuncio's offices, after more than a month of public protests by Catholics. In return for the government's promise, the Catholic protestors agreed to remove a cross and tents from the land adjacent to the building where they had been conducting regular prayer vigils.
Two weeks after the agreement was struck, however, the Catholic activists who organized the public protests-- and drew international attention to the situation, prompting the government's concession-- question whether the government will keep its promise.
Public workers have repainted the fence surrounding the building that once housed the nunciature, before it was seized by the Communist government in 1959. The gates have been strengthened, and new panels have been set in place, carrying Communist symbols and slogans, underlining the point that the building is state-owned.
Although Archbishop Ngo had said that the building would be turned over to the Church in a series of steps, the latest moves by government officials suggest that a quick transfer is out of the question.
Meanwhile security officers have been quick to respond to anyone who pauses to pray outside the building, and candles have been removed from the fence. The state-owned media-- which had been severely critical of the prayer vigils-- continue to scold Catholic activists.
For example the magazine "Catholics and People"-- which, despite its name, is controlled by the Communist party rather than the Church-- this week carries an article supporting the government's legal claim to the building, and charging that Catholic activists have violated property laws. The article goes on to say that the demonstrators have harmed the public reputation of Catholic citizens. The magazine argues that the nuncio's office became public property by default when the papal envoy left the country in 1959.
One Catholic priest serving in Saigon, Father Paul Tran, said that he feared the media campaign could be a sign that the government plans to extract some further concessions from the Catholic hierarchy in return for restoration of the building. He added that Church leaders cannot properly compete with the state-owned media in the public debate, because the only Catholic publication in Vietnam, the bi-monthly Communion, operates under strict state controls and prints only 100 copies.
Father Tran observes that the Vietnamese government has "closely followed China in its religious policies." The government, he explains, has sought "to build a state-approved Church, known as a Vietnamese Patriotic Church, separated from the Holy See. This attempt failed, thanks to the fidelity of the bishops, priests, religious, and lay people to Christ and the Church. "Catholics and People" is one among the remains of that failed attempt."
In a public statement on February 1, Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi confirmed reports that the government had agreed to restore the nuncio's offices, after more than a month of public protests by Catholics. In return for the government's promise, the Catholic protestors agreed to remove a cross and tents from the land adjacent to the building where they had been conducting regular prayer vigils.
Two weeks after the agreement was struck, however, the Catholic activists who organized the public protests-- and drew international attention to the situation, prompting the government's concession-- question whether the government will keep its promise.
Public workers have repainted the fence surrounding the building that once housed the nunciature, before it was seized by the Communist government in 1959. The gates have been strengthened, and new panels have been set in place, carrying Communist symbols and slogans, underlining the point that the building is state-owned.
Although Archbishop Ngo had said that the building would be turned over to the Church in a series of steps, the latest moves by government officials suggest that a quick transfer is out of the question.
Meanwhile security officers have been quick to respond to anyone who pauses to pray outside the building, and candles have been removed from the fence. The state-owned media-- which had been severely critical of the prayer vigils-- continue to scold Catholic activists.
For example the magazine "Catholics and People"-- which, despite its name, is controlled by the Communist party rather than the Church-- this week carries an article supporting the government's legal claim to the building, and charging that Catholic activists have violated property laws. The article goes on to say that the demonstrators have harmed the public reputation of Catholic citizens. The magazine argues that the nuncio's office became public property by default when the papal envoy left the country in 1959.
One Catholic priest serving in Saigon, Father Paul Tran, said that he feared the media campaign could be a sign that the government plans to extract some further concessions from the Catholic hierarchy in return for restoration of the building. He added that Church leaders cannot properly compete with the state-owned media in the public debate, because the only Catholic publication in Vietnam, the bi-monthly Communion, operates under strict state controls and prints only 100 copies.
Father Tran observes that the Vietnamese government has "closely followed China in its religious policies." The government, he explains, has sought "to build a state-approved Church, known as a Vietnamese Patriotic Church, separated from the Holy See. This attempt failed, thanks to the fidelity of the bishops, priests, religious, and lay people to Christ and the Church. "Catholics and People" is one among the remains of that failed attempt."