The local government in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) suddenly betrayed its promises to solve a Church property dispute by dialogue and started new constructions at the site with the back of police.
On Wednesday morning of Dec. 17, dozens of Sisters of the Daughters of the Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul (Compagnie des Filles de la Charité de Saint Vincent De Paul) rushed to their old house to protest a new plan to convert it into a commercial complex. The house has been seized by local government since 1977.
The sisters were really upset to know that the government decided to break its words and started new constructions at their house. They rushed to the site by all means. Some took motor bikes. Some just ran along streets.
They stood all day in front of the house, once their own home, praying for justice. As at 10pm local time, the protest was still on-going with the sisters vowed to stay there until the government returns their home back to them.
The property in question is located on Nguyen Thi Dieu Street. It has belonged to the Order since December 1959 after the French Red Cross transferred ownership to the sisters. The nuns opened a day care center that operated till 1975 when the communists came to power. Eventually the archdiocese of Saigon and the Order had to agree to let the local government use the facility as a school for kindergarteners.
Despite protests of the Order, in 1997, the government issued a decree to transfer the ownership to the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh city arguing that the property was in the state of absentee-landlord. Soon, the property was rented out in order to financially support local government. It was converted to a dancing club in 2005. In 2007, police raided the club and reported that the property was actually being run as a brothel. The club was shut down.
In the meantime the sisters continued to petition the authorities demanding that the building be returned since it had no socially relevant function, but their demand went nowhere.
In November 2007 ownership was transferred to the Bureau of Railroad System Management which expressed the intention of tearing it down to build a hotel with night club.
The archdiocese joined the sisters, calling on the authorities to reverse the decision. All they got was that the sign advertising the future night club was removed whilst demolition continued.
On 15 December some 70 sisters took matters into their hands, organizing a vigil prayer together with a group of students in front of news reporters. Their action momentarily stopped the demolition.
Since the beginning of the year hundreds of them had been gathering every day to pray in front of their seized property until late in March when the government promised to return their home.
But no move had been made. The protest erupted again on June 12 as the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh city signed another decree to transfer the ownership to the Third district of Ho Chi Minh city.
The sisters insisted that the government had to return to them, the true owner of the property, rather than kept kicking the ball around, again and again. They asked the government to listen and dialog seriously with them on the dispute.
The protest in June occurred when a Vatican delegation was visiting Vietnam. The local government, in an attempt to quickly dismiss their daily protests, promised to consider the issue according to the law.
Today, it breaks its words.
After seizing the land of the former apostolic delegation, and properties belonging to Thai Ha parish and to St Paul’s Monastery in Vinh Long; trying eight Thai ha parishioners; demanding Redemptorists to be transferred out of the capital; persecuting Catholics at An Bang Hue to seize their land at any cost; today, the communist government in Vietnam continues to show to the world another violation to human rights and religious freedom.
Attacks by Vietnamese authorities against the Catholic Church seem to have no end and no pause even with Christmas draws near.
On Wednesday morning of Dec. 17, dozens of Sisters of the Daughters of the Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul (Compagnie des Filles de la Charité de Saint Vincent De Paul) rushed to their old house to protest a new plan to convert it into a commercial complex. The house has been seized by local government since 1977.
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| At 10pm on Wednesday the sisters were still protesting at the site |
They stood all day in front of the house, once their own home, praying for justice. As at 10pm local time, the protest was still on-going with the sisters vowed to stay there until the government returns their home back to them.
The property in question is located on Nguyen Thi Dieu Street. It has belonged to the Order since December 1959 after the French Red Cross transferred ownership to the sisters. The nuns opened a day care center that operated till 1975 when the communists came to power. Eventually the archdiocese of Saigon and the Order had to agree to let the local government use the facility as a school for kindergarteners.
Despite protests of the Order, in 1997, the government issued a decree to transfer the ownership to the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh city arguing that the property was in the state of absentee-landlord. Soon, the property was rented out in order to financially support local government. It was converted to a dancing club in 2005. In 2007, police raided the club and reported that the property was actually being run as a brothel. The club was shut down.
In the meantime the sisters continued to petition the authorities demanding that the building be returned since it had no socially relevant function, but their demand went nowhere.
In November 2007 ownership was transferred to the Bureau of Railroad System Management which expressed the intention of tearing it down to build a hotel with night club.
The archdiocese joined the sisters, calling on the authorities to reverse the decision. All they got was that the sign advertising the future night club was removed whilst demolition continued.
On 15 December some 70 sisters took matters into their hands, organizing a vigil prayer together with a group of students in front of news reporters. Their action momentarily stopped the demolition.
Since the beginning of the year hundreds of them had been gathering every day to pray in front of their seized property until late in March when the government promised to return their home.
But no move had been made. The protest erupted again on June 12 as the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh city signed another decree to transfer the ownership to the Third district of Ho Chi Minh city.
The sisters insisted that the government had to return to them, the true owner of the property, rather than kept kicking the ball around, again and again. They asked the government to listen and dialog seriously with them on the dispute.
The protest in June occurred when a Vatican delegation was visiting Vietnam. The local government, in an attempt to quickly dismiss their daily protests, promised to consider the issue according to the law.
Today, it breaks its words.
After seizing the land of the former apostolic delegation, and properties belonging to Thai Ha parish and to St Paul’s Monastery in Vinh Long; trying eight Thai ha parishioners; demanding Redemptorists to be transferred out of the capital; persecuting Catholics at An Bang Hue to seize their land at any cost; today, the communist government in Vietnam continues to show to the world another violation to human rights and religious freedom.
Attacks by Vietnamese authorities against the Catholic Church seem to have no end and no pause even with Christmas draws near.