Church full of placards demanding the release of detained Catholics

Amid a widely circulated threat of an imminent crackdown, the entire diocese of Vinh, with half a million Catholics, held massive protests again on Saturday, demanding the immediate release of 3 Catholics who have been detained since the incident at Tam Toa.

On Saturday night Aug. 08, 2009, all 178 parishes of the diocese of Vinh held simultaneous protests. The protestors marched on the streets in seas of lights, receiving applauses from bystanders standing on sidewalks who look up to them with eyes widened in admiration for their courage to stand up against the tyranny regime.

After marching, protestors gathered at local churches where one could see a sea of placards. Some accused ongoing persecutions against Catholics. Others asked for the requisition of Church and individual properties seized illegally by police, or demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing distortion of truth, defamation of religion, and promotion of hatred between Catholics and non-Catholics via state media.

Other dioceses throughout the country also held candlelight vigils to stand in solidarity with victims of police and government contracted –gangsters, and the safety of Catholics in the region of Dong Hoi. On Saturday night, 3000 Catholics joined in a candlelight vigil at Thai Ha. The next day, 2500 Catholics in Saigon joined in another candlelight vigil at Saigon Redemptorist Monastery.

There have been rumors that local authorities in Vinh diocese have been actively looking for tougher measures to deal with Catholics’ ongoing protests. Disaffected youth, army veterans and members of Communist Youth League have been asked to join Para-military groups to attack Catholics while state media keep spreading negative image of Catholic by ongoing distortion of truth, the defamation of religion, and the promotion of hatred between Catholics and non-Catholics.

The state media campaign seems to have some negative results against Catholics. Food stalls along road sides in Quang Binh reportedly have refused to sell food to anyone wearing a Catholic symbol. The action might also be a consequence from a policy of local government of Quang Binh province to isolate Catholics. The owner of a food stall in Quang Trach - a town of Quang Binh - disclosed that local authorities had forbidden her to do so.

Despite Catholics’ mass protests, Vietnam government seems not to be willing to settle for peaceful dialogues. In a statement released on Aug 6, Fr. Anthony Pham Dinh Phung, the chief secretary of Vinh Diocese, stated that local government of Quang Binh province had asked representatives of the Bishop’s Office of Vinh to come to Dong Hoi to discuss on the Tam Toa incident. However, "negotiation should be held in the Bishop’s Office of Vinh for the safety of the diocese’s representatives," Fr. Anthony Pham insisted.

So far, officials of Quang Binh province have not replied the diocese’s suggestion.