Recent developments in Vietnam have suggested that Catholic priests are now the prime target for government’s close watch, harassment or even death threats.
Following the incident on June 6, 2009 at Tan Son Nhat airport in which a Redemptorist was detained for hours, a series of harrashments against Catholic priests has erupted in many areas of the country.
Redemptorist Fr. Joseph Le Quang Uy, a pro-life activist and a critic to government's infamous mining plan in Central highland of Vietnam- was hold in police custody for hours on his way home from a pastoral trip abroad. He was released later but with a summoning order to return for more "working sessions" in the coming days and his laptop was confiscated.
Local Catholic sources have reported that two other priests in other parts of the country had been put under scrutiny by the authority regardless of how legitimate their activities might seem to be.
First, in Dak lak province, a request from a Dominican priest for permission to continue his pastoral duty in a central highland province of Vietnam has been rejected by the local government.
Fr. Peter Nguyen Van Phuong, a Dominican priest who is currently serving more than 2000 faithful in his assigned area of duty in Lak county, Dak Lak province of Vietnam central highland (50 km Southeast of Buon Ma Thuot city ) has just reported that the People's Committee of Lak county had responded to the congregation's asking for Fr. Peter Nguyen to live and serve his local parishioners in the area as follows:
"The (People's) Committee of Lak County does not accept the request from Rev. Nguyen Van Phuong...and (Rev. Nguyen Van Phuong) has to stop all his pastoral activities starting May 39, 2009 in all areas of Lak county."
The reason given by the authority was "No religious establishment has been present in those areas; therefore there is no need for religion. The faithful in those 4 villages can practice their religion at home".
The fact is prior to 1975 when South Vietnam fell into communist's control, there had been 3 chapels built in Quang Trach, Quang Tru, and Lac Thien villages of Lak County. The one in Lac Thien is now being utilized by the Lak county attorney's office, and the remaining two have been turning into ruins by the war and the not being able to restore due to the prohibitions from the local government.
Fr. Peter Nguyen and his faithful in Dak Lak is not the first case of governmental violation of right to religion. For the past few years, Fr. Nguyen Trung Thoai of Hung Hoa diocese has been repeatedly barred from travelling to Son La province in the Northwest highland region of Vietnam for celebrating Mass. He has been struggling every year to make Christmas and Easter celebration possible for the Son La faithful. So far, he has not succeeded in any single effort.
Fr. Peter Nguyen Van Phuong asks for people's prayers and support in the congregation's effort for claiming the right to practice religion in a country where religious rights had been written as law but in reality never seem to be honored by its authority.
In the northern part of the country, another priest from Yen Ly parish, Vinh diocese (Nghe An province) has just been put on the alert by his parishioners that his life's in danger since there is a plot to do grave harm to him for what he's been doing to protect the integrity of his parish's property and the constitutional rights of his young parishioners.
Fr. Peter Tran Dinh Lai has been a devoted priest to over 2,500 parishioners, known for his role in taking a tough stance against the government's campaign to smear the good names of high ranking church officials such as Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, as well as the spreading of distorted truth by state media about the legitimate protest to reclaim church land by the Redemptorists and Thai Ha parishioners.
The priest has become a target for malicious violence against him since he refused to side with the authority in preventing the parishioners to hold protests asking for the Church's property in various areas of Vinh to be returned to them. When the effort to quash those protests failed, local police launched an attack on mostly women and children in order to see who organized the rallies on Mar 13, 2009, causing mental anguish if not crisis to some of those children. Fr. Peter Tran was among those who asked the government to look into the allegation of police brutality in which nightmarish interrogating techniques had rendered several young students at Nghi Thach middle school so frightening that they suffered from nervous breakdown and refused to go back to school. One extreme case involved Nguyen Thi Nhung, the 7th grader who is now still at home so frightened to go back to her classes despite her parents, neighbors and priests' effort to encourage.
The assertiveness coming from Fr. Peter Tran Dinh Lai, aiding by the staunching support from Bishop Paul Maria Cao Dinh Thuyen has brought strength to the faithful in their quest for justice and the truth. Under guidance of these brave shepherds, the Catholics have not only been living a rich, meaningful spiritual life, but also feeling a sense of security knowing they can always count on their trustworthy religious leaders who are determined to protect their right to worship and to live in dignity even at the cost of their own safety. Fr. Peter Tran is a living example.
Following the incident on June 6, 2009 at Tan Son Nhat airport in which a Redemptorist was detained for hours, a series of harrashments against Catholic priests has erupted in many areas of the country.
Redemptorist Fr. Joseph Le Quang Uy, a pro-life activist and a critic to government's infamous mining plan in Central highland of Vietnam- was hold in police custody for hours on his way home from a pastoral trip abroad. He was released later but with a summoning order to return for more "working sessions" in the coming days and his laptop was confiscated.
Local Catholic sources have reported that two other priests in other parts of the country had been put under scrutiny by the authority regardless of how legitimate their activities might seem to be.
First, in Dak lak province, a request from a Dominican priest for permission to continue his pastoral duty in a central highland province of Vietnam has been rejected by the local government.
Fr. Peter Nguyen Van Phuong, a Dominican priest who is currently serving more than 2000 faithful in his assigned area of duty in Lak county, Dak Lak province of Vietnam central highland (50 km Southeast of Buon Ma Thuot city ) has just reported that the People's Committee of Lak county had responded to the congregation's asking for Fr. Peter Nguyen to live and serve his local parishioners in the area as follows:
"The (People's) Committee of Lak County does not accept the request from Rev. Nguyen Van Phuong...and (Rev. Nguyen Van Phuong) has to stop all his pastoral activities starting May 39, 2009 in all areas of Lak county."
The reason given by the authority was "No religious establishment has been present in those areas; therefore there is no need for religion. The faithful in those 4 villages can practice their religion at home".
The fact is prior to 1975 when South Vietnam fell into communist's control, there had been 3 chapels built in Quang Trach, Quang Tru, and Lac Thien villages of Lak County. The one in Lac Thien is now being utilized by the Lak county attorney's office, and the remaining two have been turning into ruins by the war and the not being able to restore due to the prohibitions from the local government.
Fr. Peter Nguyen and his faithful in Dak Lak is not the first case of governmental violation of right to religion. For the past few years, Fr. Nguyen Trung Thoai of Hung Hoa diocese has been repeatedly barred from travelling to Son La province in the Northwest highland region of Vietnam for celebrating Mass. He has been struggling every year to make Christmas and Easter celebration possible for the Son La faithful. So far, he has not succeeded in any single effort.
Fr. Peter Nguyen Van Phuong asks for people's prayers and support in the congregation's effort for claiming the right to practice religion in a country where religious rights had been written as law but in reality never seem to be honored by its authority.
In the northern part of the country, another priest from Yen Ly parish, Vinh diocese (Nghe An province) has just been put on the alert by his parishioners that his life's in danger since there is a plot to do grave harm to him for what he's been doing to protect the integrity of his parish's property and the constitutional rights of his young parishioners.
Fr. Peter Tran Dinh Lai has been a devoted priest to over 2,500 parishioners, known for his role in taking a tough stance against the government's campaign to smear the good names of high ranking church officials such as Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, as well as the spreading of distorted truth by state media about the legitimate protest to reclaim church land by the Redemptorists and Thai Ha parishioners.
The priest has become a target for malicious violence against him since he refused to side with the authority in preventing the parishioners to hold protests asking for the Church's property in various areas of Vinh to be returned to them. When the effort to quash those protests failed, local police launched an attack on mostly women and children in order to see who organized the rallies on Mar 13, 2009, causing mental anguish if not crisis to some of those children. Fr. Peter Tran was among those who asked the government to look into the allegation of police brutality in which nightmarish interrogating techniques had rendered several young students at Nghi Thach middle school so frightening that they suffered from nervous breakdown and refused to go back to school. One extreme case involved Nguyen Thi Nhung, the 7th grader who is now still at home so frightened to go back to her classes despite her parents, neighbors and priests' effort to encourage.
The assertiveness coming from Fr. Peter Tran Dinh Lai, aiding by the staunching support from Bishop Paul Maria Cao Dinh Thuyen has brought strength to the faithful in their quest for justice and the truth. Under guidance of these brave shepherds, the Catholics have not only been living a rich, meaningful spiritual life, but also feeling a sense of security knowing they can always count on their trustworthy religious leaders who are determined to protect their right to worship and to live in dignity even at the cost of their own safety. Fr. Peter Tran is a living example.