BANGKOK: Hue archdiocesan leaders have expressed concern over the way authorities have reacted to Catholics who were trying to prevent the construction of a wall around a former Church-run school building.
On Sept. 22, Archbishop Etienne Nguyen Nhu The of Hue and four priests met four officials from Thua Thien-Hue province's bureau for religious affairs at their headquarters in Hue, according to a report on the archdiocesan website.
One of the priests was Father Paul Ngo Thanh Son, pastor of Loan Ly church located near the Lang Co elementary school, the building at the heart of the conflict.
Archbishop The, 73, reportedly "expressed the great concern of local Catholics" for actions taken by provincial authorities to resolve a government-Church dispute over the building.
On Sept. 14, workers, under orders from government authorities, started building a brick wall around the school. When some 400 parishioners tried to stop the construction, police and security officers hit them severely and dragged them out of the school compound.
On that day and the next, police also blocked the road outside the church and other paths leading to the school.
The communist government had confiscated the building in 1975 and used it as an elementary school on weekdays. However, it allowed the parish to continue teaching catechism there to children on Sundays.
On Sept. 9 and 12, local officials asked the parish to stop catechism classes. They prevented children from attending classes on Sept. 13, when the parish started a new catechism course.
In the report on the archdiocesan website, www.tonggiaophanhue.net, Archbishop The noted that the Church had for years tried to "engage in dialogue with local authorities to resolve religious issues."
He condemned government authorities for "not having any dialogue with the local Church and using brute force on parishioners." Such violence "seriously damages religious sentiments and local Catholics' belief in the government," he charged.
During his one-hour meeting with officials, Archbishop The said such action by local authorities "shows that the government is changing its policy on religions, especially Catholicism." Duong Viet Hong, head of the bureau, promised to report what Archbishop The said to his superiors, according to the archdiocesan website.
On Sept. 24 Auxiliary Bishop Francis Xavier Le Van Hong of Hue and three priests visited and consoled Catholics at Loan Ly church.
Bishop Hong praised parishioners for bravely witnessing to the truth in the face of force and for reacting peacefully. He urged them to trust in God's providence. "As citizens, we have the right to fight for social justice and truth. As God's children we must also forgive people, even our enemies," Bishop Hong said. They then sang Saint Francis of Assisi's prayer for peace.
In his Sept. 23 message to Catholics in his archdiocese, Archbishop The said the Church shares in the sufferings of Loan Ly parishioners. He urged local Catholics to pray for the parish, and for justice and truth to be respected in the country. His message was read during weekend Masses in the archdiocese's 78 parishes.
Father Son told UCA News that his parishioners are still traumatized by the incident. Fifty people, mostly women and children, were severely hurt, he said.
The parish has around 1,000 Catholics, most of whom are fisher folk. Their forebears, who came from Quang Tri province in 1954, constructed the school building for catechism and basic education in 1956, according to the priest.
He said that on Sept. 25, provincial authorities met local Church leaders at the Archbishop's House, but details of the meeting have not been released.
He added that the parish has petitioned the government for ownership of a 10,000 square-meter plot of land near the church, on which Catholics have used to plant trees although without proper title deeds. He fears that the government wants to confiscate the plot of land and use it for a holiday resort.
On Sept. 22, Archbishop Etienne Nguyen Nhu The of Hue and four priests met four officials from Thua Thien-Hue province's bureau for religious affairs at their headquarters in Hue, according to a report on the archdiocesan website.
One of the priests was Father Paul Ngo Thanh Son, pastor of Loan Ly church located near the Lang Co elementary school, the building at the heart of the conflict.
Archbishop The, 73, reportedly "expressed the great concern of local Catholics" for actions taken by provincial authorities to resolve a government-Church dispute over the building.
On Sept. 14, workers, under orders from government authorities, started building a brick wall around the school. When some 400 parishioners tried to stop the construction, police and security officers hit them severely and dragged them out of the school compound.
On that day and the next, police also blocked the road outside the church and other paths leading to the school.
The communist government had confiscated the building in 1975 and used it as an elementary school on weekdays. However, it allowed the parish to continue teaching catechism there to children on Sundays.
On Sept. 9 and 12, local officials asked the parish to stop catechism classes. They prevented children from attending classes on Sept. 13, when the parish started a new catechism course.
In the report on the archdiocesan website, www.tonggiaophanhue.net, Archbishop The noted that the Church had for years tried to "engage in dialogue with local authorities to resolve religious issues."
He condemned government authorities for "not having any dialogue with the local Church and using brute force on parishioners." Such violence "seriously damages religious sentiments and local Catholics' belief in the government," he charged.
During his one-hour meeting with officials, Archbishop The said such action by local authorities "shows that the government is changing its policy on religions, especially Catholicism." Duong Viet Hong, head of the bureau, promised to report what Archbishop The said to his superiors, according to the archdiocesan website.
On Sept. 24 Auxiliary Bishop Francis Xavier Le Van Hong of Hue and three priests visited and consoled Catholics at Loan Ly church.
Bishop Hong praised parishioners for bravely witnessing to the truth in the face of force and for reacting peacefully. He urged them to trust in God's providence. "As citizens, we have the right to fight for social justice and truth. As God's children we must also forgive people, even our enemies," Bishop Hong said. They then sang Saint Francis of Assisi's prayer for peace.
In his Sept. 23 message to Catholics in his archdiocese, Archbishop The said the Church shares in the sufferings of Loan Ly parishioners. He urged local Catholics to pray for the parish, and for justice and truth to be respected in the country. His message was read during weekend Masses in the archdiocese's 78 parishes.
Father Son told UCA News that his parishioners are still traumatized by the incident. Fifty people, mostly women and children, were severely hurt, he said.
The parish has around 1,000 Catholics, most of whom are fisher folk. Their forebears, who came from Quang Tri province in 1954, constructed the school building for catechism and basic education in 1956, according to the priest.
He said that on Sept. 25, provincial authorities met local Church leaders at the Archbishop's House, but details of the meeting have not been released.
He added that the parish has petitioned the government for ownership of a 10,000 square-meter plot of land near the church, on which Catholics have used to plant trees although without proper title deeds. He fears that the government wants to confiscate the plot of land and use it for a holiday resort.