Hanoi, Sep. 5, 2008 (CWNews.com) - In a clear indication of hierarchical support for public protests by Vietnamese Catholics, the bishops of Haiphong and Thai Binh joined in demonstrations in Hanoi on September 4.

Bishop Joseph Vu Van Thien led a delegation of hundreds of priests, religious, and lay Catholics from Haiphong to join in a procession through the streets of Hanoi, praying that "everyone knows how to respect and defend justice."

On the same day, Bishop Francis Nguyen Van Sang of Thai Binh led another group of 3,000 people through cold rain to pray with parishioners in Hanoi who have been protesting government seizure of parish property.

Meanwhile, 82 Catholic priests in Hanoi signed a public letter criticizing the one-sided and inaccurate coverage of the protests in the state-controlled media, and pleading with the government "not to criminalize such a dispute."