Vietnamese government plans to establish a Chinese-style state controlled Church have failed after a meeting in Hanoi failed to approve the proposal.
After many postponements, a meeting of the 'Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics' designed to establish a state-approved Patriotic Church' took place in Hanoi on November 19-20, Independent Catholic News reports.
A report on the state-run Vietnam News Agency a week ahead of the meeting, said organisers were expecting 425 delegates, including 145 priests to take part. In fact it seems that far fewer people attended and at least some of the clergy who were there had been pressed into taking part, ICN says.
One priest who was forced to attend, described the atmosphere as sombre, and said: "only a few dozen attended".
No pictures were allowed, he said, as this would have revealed the true facts of the meeting.
The committee decided that it would impossible to establish a Church directed by the Party rather than the Vatican.
State-run media reported that the committee agreed to focus more on "calling upon Vietnamese Catholics at home and abroad to actively participate in a wide range of social activities in a myriad of areas, from work, study and business to production and humanitarian acts, and to continue working for national socio-economic development".
In fact the Church in Vietnam has actively participated for years in social activities, ICN says. Moreover, bishops have repeatedly asked the government to allow the Church to participate more on some specific areas, such as education, and health care. So far their requests have been ignored.
Trial for Thai Ha parishioners
In another story, VietCatholic reports that eight parishioners will be tried soon in Hanoi for their peaceful protests at Thai Ha parish in a trial seen by Catholics as a threatening tactic and an overt human rights violation.
Fr Joseph Nguyen Van Khai, spokesperson of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery, reported that eight parishioners under Hanoi Redemptorists' pastoral care would be tried on December 5 at a court in Hanoi following protests over confiscated church land.
Earlier, the Vietnamese government had threatened to punish them severely for what it described as "damaging state property and disorderly conduct in public."
However, Fr Nguyen said in a statement that "the said eight parishioners who are being wrongfully charged did not do anything violating the law."
"The to be trial is unjust."
For Redemptorists and Thai Ha parishioners, "the land had been, was and is still their property. They have their legal rights to remove part of the wall that was threatening their lives," Fr Nguyen explained.
"Anyway, the local government bulldozed everything, including the wall, to convert the land into a public park. Why they insist on suing the parishioners for something that cost no more than a breakfast of a high ranking official in Hanoi after having jailed them for months?" asked Sr. Marie Nguyen from Saigon.
"The answer is quite obvious: They are going to punish severely these Catholics to threaten anyone who wish to ask for their property back," she added.
In conclusion, Fr Nguyen begged Catholics around the world "to be united in prayers for victims of justice and truth".
After many postponements, a meeting of the 'Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics' designed to establish a state-approved Patriotic Church' took place in Hanoi on November 19-20, Independent Catholic News reports.
A report on the state-run Vietnam News Agency a week ahead of the meeting, said organisers were expecting 425 delegates, including 145 priests to take part. In fact it seems that far fewer people attended and at least some of the clergy who were there had been pressed into taking part, ICN says.
One priest who was forced to attend, described the atmosphere as sombre, and said: "only a few dozen attended".
No pictures were allowed, he said, as this would have revealed the true facts of the meeting.
The committee decided that it would impossible to establish a Church directed by the Party rather than the Vatican.
State-run media reported that the committee agreed to focus more on "calling upon Vietnamese Catholics at home and abroad to actively participate in a wide range of social activities in a myriad of areas, from work, study and business to production and humanitarian acts, and to continue working for national socio-economic development".
In fact the Church in Vietnam has actively participated for years in social activities, ICN says. Moreover, bishops have repeatedly asked the government to allow the Church to participate more on some specific areas, such as education, and health care. So far their requests have been ignored.
Trial for Thai Ha parishioners
In another story, VietCatholic reports that eight parishioners will be tried soon in Hanoi for their peaceful protests at Thai Ha parish in a trial seen by Catholics as a threatening tactic and an overt human rights violation.
Fr Joseph Nguyen Van Khai, spokesperson of Hanoi Redemptorist Monastery, reported that eight parishioners under Hanoi Redemptorists' pastoral care would be tried on December 5 at a court in Hanoi following protests over confiscated church land.
Earlier, the Vietnamese government had threatened to punish them severely for what it described as "damaging state property and disorderly conduct in public."
However, Fr Nguyen said in a statement that "the said eight parishioners who are being wrongfully charged did not do anything violating the law."
"The to be trial is unjust."
For Redemptorists and Thai Ha parishioners, "the land had been, was and is still their property. They have their legal rights to remove part of the wall that was threatening their lives," Fr Nguyen explained.
"Anyway, the local government bulldozed everything, including the wall, to convert the land into a public park. Why they insist on suing the parishioners for something that cost no more than a breakfast of a high ranking official in Hanoi after having jailed them for months?" asked Sr. Marie Nguyen from Saigon.
"The answer is quite obvious: They are going to punish severely these Catholics to threaten anyone who wish to ask for their property back," she added.
In conclusion, Fr Nguyen begged Catholics around the world "to be united in prayers for victims of justice and truth".