Hanoi, Feb. 29, 2008 (CWNews.com) - A ranking Vietnamese official has confirmed the government's commitment to restore Catholic ownership of a Hanoi building that once housed the offices of the apostolic nuncio.
Earlier this month, after a series of public demonstrations by Catholic activists outside the building in question, Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi announced that the government had promised to return the building, which was confiscated by the Communist government in 1959.
However, lay Catholics were fearful that the government could renege on that promise. Those concerns grew when a Buddhist leader with close ties to the government claimed that the property actually belonged to Buddhist owners.
But speaking at a 2-day conference sponsored by the "Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics," the government's top religious-affairs leader, Tran Dinh Phung, reiterated that the building would be returned to Catholic ownership. He said that the government appreciated the gesture made by Archbishop Ngo, who had asked demonstrators to stop their prayer vigils outside the building in order to avoid confrontations. "In reply, we also want to show our gestures of sincere dialogue”, said Tran.
The government spokesman criticized the Buddhist leader who had entered a claim on the property, saying that the move "could not help but complicate the search for a way to solve the issue peacefully." He also criticized a magazine that had highlighted the Buddhist claim, saying that it was "adding fuel to the fire."
The "Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics" is a government-sponsored group that attempts to guide the activities of the Church, similar to the control exerted by the Catholic Patriotic Association in China.
Earlier this month, after a series of public demonstrations by Catholic activists outside the building in question, Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi announced that the government had promised to return the building, which was confiscated by the Communist government in 1959.
However, lay Catholics were fearful that the government could renege on that promise. Those concerns grew when a Buddhist leader with close ties to the government claimed that the property actually belonged to Buddhist owners.
But speaking at a 2-day conference sponsored by the "Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics," the government's top religious-affairs leader, Tran Dinh Phung, reiterated that the building would be returned to Catholic ownership. He said that the government appreciated the gesture made by Archbishop Ngo, who had asked demonstrators to stop their prayer vigils outside the building in order to avoid confrontations. "In reply, we also want to show our gestures of sincere dialogue”, said Tran.
The government spokesman criticized the Buddhist leader who had entered a claim on the property, saying that the move "could not help but complicate the search for a way to solve the issue peacefully." He also criticized a magazine that had highlighted the Buddhist claim, saying that it was "adding fuel to the fire."
The "Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics" is a government-sponsored group that attempts to guide the activities of the Church, similar to the control exerted by the Catholic Patriotic Association in China.