Local government ordered Catholics to remove their Cross and altar from a land of dispute. Parishioners refused and protested.
On Saturday, Oct. 11, local government of Vinh An, Phu Vang in Thua Thien province ordered Catholics in An Bang parish of Hue archdiocese to remove their Cross and altar from their church. The government intends to bulldoze the church as it claims the ownership on the land.
Fr. Peter Nguyen Huu Giai, the parish’s pastor rejected the claim, challenging the authorities to provide any legal document to support their claim.
According to the pastor, the land belonged to a parishioner, Mr. Le Khinh, who passed away a few years ago. However, “his children are still there, and they own the land legally,” said Fr. Peter Nguyen.
Vinh An’s parishioners, most of them are poor peasants, built a small church on the land with the agreement from Mr. Le Khinh and his children. The dispute erupted after the generous parishioner had passed away, and the local government officials started to pay attention to the land.
Facing the defiance of parishioners, the local government has launched a campaign of harassment and intimidation. “Every morning, from 5:30 am, the loudspeakers start talking on state religious policy, and on how this government respects the Catholic Church. The chorus has been repeated every day. Numerous parishioners have been summoned. Just yesterday, a lot of people were questioned individually as if they had committed a serious crime,” he reported.
The pastor, himself, got into trouble with police. “Yesterday, I had been interrogated at the police station of Phu Vang district straight from 8:30 until 10:30 in the morning. They charged me with many offenses but I rejected each of them,” he said.
“They are going to remove our Cross and altar themselves,” Fr. Peter reported. “It’s up to them, but we won’t do that despite of any pressure,” he persisted.
The incident at Vinh An has raised a concern that in this tidal wave of open persecutions ramping in Vietnam, more Church properties, especially at the remote areas, will soon to be seized by local authorities
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| Fr. Peter Nguyen Huu Giai |
Fr. Peter Nguyen Huu Giai, the parish’s pastor rejected the claim, challenging the authorities to provide any legal document to support their claim.
According to the pastor, the land belonged to a parishioner, Mr. Le Khinh, who passed away a few years ago. However, “his children are still there, and they own the land legally,” said Fr. Peter Nguyen.
Vinh An’s parishioners, most of them are poor peasants, built a small church on the land with the agreement from Mr. Le Khinh and his children. The dispute erupted after the generous parishioner had passed away, and the local government officials started to pay attention to the land.
Facing the defiance of parishioners, the local government has launched a campaign of harassment and intimidation. “Every morning, from 5:30 am, the loudspeakers start talking on state religious policy, and on how this government respects the Catholic Church. The chorus has been repeated every day. Numerous parishioners have been summoned. Just yesterday, a lot of people were questioned individually as if they had committed a serious crime,” he reported.
The pastor, himself, got into trouble with police. “Yesterday, I had been interrogated at the police station of Phu Vang district straight from 8:30 until 10:30 in the morning. They charged me with many offenses but I rejected each of them,” he said.
“They are going to remove our Cross and altar themselves,” Fr. Peter reported. “It’s up to them, but we won’t do that despite of any pressure,” he persisted.
The incident at Vinh An has raised a concern that in this tidal wave of open persecutions ramping in Vietnam, more Church properties, especially at the remote areas, will soon to be seized by local authorities