A day after logging their letter of complaint accusing police of supporting for terrorism against them and their faithful, priests received a warning to have legal actions against them.
People’s Committee of Hanoi has issued an official warning to four top priests of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery who have been embroiled in a bitter land dispute with the local government. The move followed a similar warning sent a day earlier to archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi, threatening to severely punish him.
The two warnings have surprised people both Catholics and non-Catholics, with a lawyer stated that Nguyen The Thao, the chairman of the committee, who signed the two warnings has no authority to do so.
The public defamation of top leaders of Catholic Church has been explained by state media as necessary “to defense the regime that has been shaken by Catholic clergies who have stirred the population and encouraged illegal religious activities.”
The four priests who received the warning on Tuesday are Fr. Matthew Vu Khoi Phung, Superior of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery; Fr. Peter Nguyen Van Khai; Fr. Nguyen Van That; and Fr. John Nguyen Ngoc Nam Phong.
Chairman Thao charged the priests of “inciting riots...hanging crosses and religious icons on state property...gathering illegally faithful in great numbers to disrupt public order.”
These accusations are not something new as state media have repeatedly charged the priests during more than a month now. However, according to a state lawyer, who chose to speak under the veil of anonymity, it is against the law to issue such warnings. “It is the job of a court to follow specific set of guidelines in reaching such a verdict. Thao’s verdict is none sense and unlawful. It’s a bureaucratic abuse of power,” he stated.
Thao also decided that the disputed land in Thai Ha will be converted to a park. A lawyer who has been involved in a number of land cases, told the BBC Vietnamese Service: "If the government considered returning the lands to Thai Ha parish and the Hanoi Diocese, this would become an undesirable precedent for other Catholic organisations and individuals across the country. It would be extremely dangerous for the regime."
The authorities have resorted to the safer solution of turning both disputed sites into public parks "to serve the people's interest," he added.
However, the solution is seen by Catholics as an insult to their legitimate aspirations. “It ridicules the law, and disrespects the Catholic Church in Vietnam. It is also an act of trembling morality, and a mocking of society's conscience,” said archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet in his letter to Vietnam leadership.
People’s Committee of Hanoi has issued an official warning to four top priests of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery who have been embroiled in a bitter land dispute with the local government. The move followed a similar warning sent a day earlier to archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi, threatening to severely punish him.
The two warnings have surprised people both Catholics and non-Catholics, with a lawyer stated that Nguyen The Thao, the chairman of the committee, who signed the two warnings has no authority to do so.
The public defamation of top leaders of Catholic Church has been explained by state media as necessary “to defense the regime that has been shaken by Catholic clergies who have stirred the population and encouraged illegal religious activities.”
The four priests who received the warning on Tuesday are Fr. Matthew Vu Khoi Phung, Superior of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery; Fr. Peter Nguyen Van Khai; Fr. Nguyen Van That; and Fr. John Nguyen Ngoc Nam Phong.
Chairman Thao charged the priests of “inciting riots...hanging crosses and religious icons on state property...gathering illegally faithful in great numbers to disrupt public order.”
These accusations are not something new as state media have repeatedly charged the priests during more than a month now. However, according to a state lawyer, who chose to speak under the veil of anonymity, it is against the law to issue such warnings. “It is the job of a court to follow specific set of guidelines in reaching such a verdict. Thao’s verdict is none sense and unlawful. It’s a bureaucratic abuse of power,” he stated.
Thao also decided that the disputed land in Thai Ha will be converted to a park. A lawyer who has been involved in a number of land cases, told the BBC Vietnamese Service: "If the government considered returning the lands to Thai Ha parish and the Hanoi Diocese, this would become an undesirable precedent for other Catholic organisations and individuals across the country. It would be extremely dangerous for the regime."
The authorities have resorted to the safer solution of turning both disputed sites into public parks "to serve the people's interest," he added.
However, the solution is seen by Catholics as an insult to their legitimate aspirations. “It ridicules the law, and disrespects the Catholic Church in Vietnam. It is also an act of trembling morality, and a mocking of society's conscience,” said archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet in his letter to Vietnam leadership.