Bishop Daniel P. Reilly, Chairman of the U .S.
Catholic Conference on Internal Policy, on September 15, 1994, released a
statement of the Committee on religious freedom in Vietnam which is as follows:
“On February, third of this year, President Clinton,
ended the United States trade embargo against Vietnam, making another milestone
in the long and painful journey from the devastation of war toward greater contact and mutual
understanding. As we welcome this change of policy on the part of our
government, we wish also to note the areas of our special concern with regard to Vietnam, particularly the
matter of religious freedom in that country and the still unsettled fate of thousands of refugees.
In our 1989 pastoral statement on relations between the United States and Vietnam, “A
Time for Dialogue and Healing,” we
affirmed the solidarity between the Church of Vietnam and that of the U. S.,
emphasized our concern for religious
liberty, and said “it is time to move
beyond the legacy of war, to begin to respond to the pressing needs of those
affected by that war, and to address
better both the problems and possibilities of a new relationship between
the American and Vietnamese peoples”. We
renewed the appeal made on December 2, 1975 by the leadership of our Conference
and other religious bodies that the
trade embargo be lifted as soon as possible. Now, after nineteen years, a more
equitable relationship may be possible, but serious challenges remain.
The issues that have governed relations between our
two countries over those years have centered largely on the geopolitical role
played by Vietnam, chiefly with regard to Cambodia , and the abiding concern of
the American people for full accountability of our POWs and MIAs. The Cold War
concerns have failed and most agree that
Vietnam has been generally forthcoming on the POW/MIA issue, with prospects for
still greater cooperation enhanced now by ending the sanctions.
Less attention has been given to the question of the
religious rights of the Vietnamese people and specifically to the ability of
the Catholic Church to function freely As in several other countries in our
time, the Vietnam Communist Party’s control over and hostility to religious
belief and practice was exceedingly harsh in the years immediately following
the war. By all accounts, the present situation, while less than satisfactory,
may represents one improvement over the previous period.
Maryknoll, begun to work in Vietnam and five of the
country’s seminaries, with a variety of limitations, were allowed to reopen.
"Yet, serious restrictions on religious
practices remained intact," a priest who asked anonymity said.." Our concerns about religious liberty begin
with each own family of faith, but they do not end there. Recent crackdowns on
religious groups have tended to be directed
most directly at members of the Unified Buddhist Church, and against the
evangelical house church movement, and are just as objectionable as the
restrictions imposed on the Catholic Church. Government efforts to interfere
with the Catholic Church's internal affairs. It is neither the function of the
State to approve or withhold approval for candidates to the priesthood, nor to
restrict a bishop’s freedom to name his
pastors or transfer priests should clergy be restricted from traveling freely within his diocese.
just to perform his ministry. It is up to the Church to run its own affairs, to
nominate bishops, to receive student-priests without government interference. "
The Vatican
and Hanoi
At the end of 1990, a Vatican delegation, headed by
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, representing both the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace and “Cor Unum,” paid an official visit to Vietnam. In that same year,
some 21 of the Vietnamese bishops (most and not all bishops of the conference)
were permitted for the first time to make their “ad ilimina” visit to the Holy Father, following “a dialogue which augurs well for the future
has begun,. ,,,” as the Pope said to the bishops in Rome in a meeting. Talks between the Holy See and the Hanoi
continued during the visit to the country of
another Vatican delegation led by Msgr. Claudio Celli of the Holy
Secretariat of State in early
1992 and again just this year, and a visit by Vietnam officials to the Vatican
in 1992. In both instances, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of Vietnam presented to the Prime
Minister the restrictions imposed on
them forth and the still-existing
problems facing the Church, urging him
to remedy the situation.
The Holy See had, just this year, concurrently
named bishop of Hanoi archbishop and
appointed several other dignitaries bishops. However, there still remained an
unacceptable degree of government
interference in the nomination and appointment. The nominee or
appointee must meet certain sine-qua-non
requirements established bf the authorities.. As Msgr. Celli said, by
reluctantly accepting State decision on the matter, the Church saw its deprivation of the desire to nominate
bishops on its terms" "The international documents on religious
liberty affirm that every religion has a right to freely designate its own
ministers.” Nevertheless, Hanoi Shows some signs of tolerance. Several of the
arrested clergy had been released,, among whom Fr. Dominic Tran Dinh Thu,
founder of the Congregation of Mother Co-Redemptrix, and four other priests of
the congregation. Some relaxation was felt in humanitarian services. Mother
Theresa of the Missionaries of Charity and the Catholic Foreign Mission
Society,
In a two-column article in the magazine “Thirty
Days,” published in Rome, in January 1992, Gianni Valette reported news on a
visit of a Vatican delegate to Vietnam. It consisted of Mgr. Claudio Celli and
Mgr. Nguyen Van Phuong. The two Vatican officials met with Vietnamese
high-ranking officials. The meetings were described as "intimate and friendly." However, the Vietnamese
Catholic circles were doubtful of such a
“smile policy” by the State. They were afraid that it was only a tactic in
its strategy to "make
peace" with the Vatican while
seeking opportunities to ingeniously place docile Catholic priests in important
positions in the Roman Catholic clerical hierarchy. Pursuing this purpose, the State nominated
Huynh Cong Minh, the pastor of the Saigon Main Cathedral and former leader of
the Association of “Patriotic” Catholics, the representative of the Saigon
prelacy. Apparently, Huynh Cong Minh was no longer a member of the Executive
Board of the Communist-installed Committee for Solidarity of Catholics whose
task was to help the Vietnamese Communist Party and State, to campaign, seeking
support from the Catholics to carry out the Party's policy. Huynh Cong Minh, in
reality, was then the key decision-maker representing the Party beside the
Church's clerical hierarchy. Huynh' s pronouncements in many instances were
thought to acts covert intrigue benefiting the authorities. To warn against
deviations from priestly duties and performances, in 1992, Cardinal Sodano,
Minister Plenipotentiary of the Vatican, sent a letter to the Bishops of
Vietnam reminding them of a religious law that prohibits Catholic priests to
participate in political organizations and asked them to find ways to withdraw
from the State-installed Committee for Solidarity of Catholics.
Religious Intolerance
Religious practices
in Vietnam is riddled with restrictions. This gives rise to many
problems simply because of the State religious intolerance, which is pervasive
in all sectors of life. In an interview
with the Vietnamese newspaper Ngay Nay (Today), published in Houston, Texas,
during his accompaniment with Pope John Paul II at the Eighth Conference of the
World Catholic Youth in Denver, Colorado, August 11-15, 1993, Cardinal Angelo
Sodano said that the Vietnamese government needed to translate into reality the
basic rights to freedoms:. He stressed that
“ to speak of the rights to freedom in Vietnam is to speak of the basic
human rights. The Government of Vietnam is a signatory to international
treaties and covenants pledges to abide
by the international clauses on human rights. Thus, it needs to carry them out. When the Holy Father
calls for the rights to freedom, he calls for freedom for every human person, and
not only for the Catholics. Let's hope and pray for Vietnam. The Vatican would
do to help the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam to claim back its
establishments, cathedrals, schools, and so on, which have come into possession
of the Communist administration. The
Vietnamese government already gave signs of greater understanding of the demand
for the freedom of the Church. We only demand for freedom of religion. We do
not demand these rights for the Catholics but for believers of all religions,
for the people of Vietnam. I believe that every community has the rights to
religious freedom and religious practices.
The Catholic Church of Vietnam needs to have freedom in organizing
seminaries, receiving and forming its priests according to its standards.
Sooner or later, these rights should be recognized by the Vietnamese
government."
Uneasiness
Uneasiness marked the preparations for the visit to
Vietnam by Mugs. Alberto Ablondi during August 11-17, 1994. The prelate was
then the Bishop of Livourne, Italy, and President of the Catholic Biblical
Federation. It was with these two titles that enabled the bishop to make the
visit. The biblical association of which he was the president had contributed to the publication of the most
recent Vietnamese translation of the New Testament. He had been invited to a
reception organized for public presentation of the biblical work in Saigon. On this occasion, he wished to personally
meet the seminarians from North Vietnam of the diocese, particularly the two
recipients of the scholarship accorded by the faithful of Livourne. At first,, the Embassy of Vietnam in Italy refused to give
the prelate an entry visa to Vietnam under the pretext that he was a devotee
of "religious propaganda." However, after many negotiations , he was
accoded authorization to enter Vietnam. The Vietnamese authorities nevertheless
complicated the matter when he arrived in Vietnam. (EDA. November 1, 1994)
.
In an
interview with the Vatican Radio on his return from Vietnam, the prelate gave
his impressions on his visit when replying to a question on the religious
situation in Vietnam as follows:
"The religious situation in Vietnam may well be
summarized in terms of the celebration in which we participated --a great
ceremony that was organized by the archdiocese at the living room in the
residence of the archbishop, with the
participation of many personalities, common people, and, especially that
"before his arrival, Bible specialists and people who are interested in Bible . This ceremony of presentation of the
new biblical translation had minutes of difficulties: two people could not
obtain authorization for participation from the police because they came from
abroad. However, a joyous ambiance prevailed creating an event that was
manifest in the life of a Church that is capable of expressing the Words of God
in a modern language.
Sources from
Vietnam said that Archbishop Nguyen Van Binh had to give the authorities words
of guarantee that visit of Bishop's of Livourne would only be a peafowl reunion
so that the prelate could obtain permission from the authorities to participate
in the ceremony. The personalities "coming from abroad" who could not participate in the
ceremony were, in fact, the two pastors of the Evangelical Christian Churches.
Mgr. Ablondi himself was not able to visit the seminarians as he had projected.
The Church in a Cage
Msgr. Claudio Celli, declared, in an interview with
Radio Vatican on October 24, 1996, that he "always
said- that the Catholic Church of Vietnam is in a cage. The objective of the
Holy See is to make every effort to enlarge it. And, the path towards full
freedom is still very long." The statement
by the prelate from the Vatican was
attested by various instances of
harassment by the State security Forces, such as the case of H’mong Catholics (EDA 305).
Ease of Tension
During the trip to Vietnam of the delegation of the
Vatican, June 11-16, 2001, the authorities of Vietnam agreed with the Vatican
about the proceedings for Episcopal
nominations, one the diocese of the North, Bui Chu, and two for two the Phan Thiet
Diocese and Saigon Diocese in the South.
It was not until more than one
month later, July 14, 2001, that the Vatican could officially publish these
nominations. The Reverend Joseph Hoang Van Tiem, a Saleascean priest, was
chosen to be the principal bishop of the diocese Bui Chu. The Reverend Paul
Nguyen Thanh Hoan, a secular priest and native of Hue, was nominated the
coadjutor bishop of the diocese of Phan Thiet, and, the Reverend Vu Duy Thong
became the coadjutor bishop of Saigon. The Episcopal ordinations were all
officially celebrated.
It is noted that the new Bishop of Bui Chu, aged 63,
is a native of Nam Dinh in North Vietnam. He came to reside in the South with
his family at the time of the exodus to the South in 1954. He was educated at the Saleasean institution Granted a
diploma from the Institute for Theology of Bethlem in Cisjordanie, he taught
moral theology at the Grand Seminary of Da Lat. Since 1995, he had also been
invited to give lecture at the grand seminary Saint Joseph of Hanoi. The
ceremony during which the bishop was ordained, August 8, 2001, the Cardinal
Archbishop of Hanoi Pham Dinh Tung, assisted by the bishops of Thai Binh and
Phat Diem, celebrated the nomination ceremony that was described as particularly solemn. Eighteen bishops, two of
whom from Thailand and Taiwan, as well as 300 priests the majority of whom
belong to the clergy of South Vietnam participated in it. More than 40,000
adepts assembled on this occasion. The bishop of Lang Son, who was in charge of
Homily, offered meditation and prayer at the ceremony. At the end of the
ceremony, the new bishop of Bui Chu, in his
address to his assistant celebrants, expressed joy, explicating the meaning of the Episcopal motto by and for himself : “All that you wail say, do them!”
The diocese of Bui Chu, considered as the cradle of Catholicism
in North Vietnam, remained without a titular bishop after the death of the
preceding bishop, Msgr. Vu Duy Nhat, on December 11, 1999. It sheltered 362,000
adepts distributed in 129 parishes. There were 51 priests, 432 nuns and 3602
Bible instructors. The new bishop of
Phan Thiet, Msgr. Nguyen Thanh Hoan is a native of Nghe An in Central Vietnam.
Aged 69, he was ordained priest in 1965. His first pastoral experiences took place
in the region of Dong Ha where he created and directed an orphanage, a charge
he continued to assume his role when the hazards of war occurred, in 1972. He
and his faithful had to move f Ham Tan where he was nominated bishop.
Ordained by Msgr. Huynh Van Nghi, the principal
bishop of Phan Thiet, on August 11, 2001, in a cathedral which is too small to
hold the ensemble of assistants, the new bishop Nguyen Thanh Hoan confided to
the Vietnamese press that it was his directional ideas that helped animate his
performance. His Episcopal motto was: “The Gospel for the Poor,” which to him really represents the essential`
goals of his program. Before his nomination, the prelate had been well known
for his social activities. Since 1994, he had engaged in the social work in
favor of the poor, allowing them to raise cattle or recycle paper. Attending to
the youths, he helped them to elevate their education. He even helped them to
pursue higher education. Msgr. Nguyen Thanh Hoan thought that one could
separate propagation from the service to the poor and that the diocese of Phan
Thiet is a place particularly adapted to this task.
The new auxiliary bishop of Saigon, Msgr. Vu Duy
Thong, aged 49, was the youngest of the three new bishops. He was born in North
Vietnam, in the province of Thai Binh. After his education at the secondary
seminary of Long Xuyen, he entered the grand seminary of Saigon in 1975, at the
time of change of regime. Because of economic difficulties and in the absence
of courses at the grand seminary during long periods, the young seminarian
practiced diverse occupations to make his living. He worked as a peasant for a
year at the agricultural yard of Cu Chi, as a labor at a factory of tires of
bicycles, or a worker at clothes-making
shop. In 1985, he was again called to sacerdotal vocation. He was responsible
for a workshop at Hoc Mon. During seven years, he devoted his sacerdotal
ministry in the parish of Bach Dang and fulfilled the functions of assistant
professor at Saigon Grand Seminary. From 1992 to 1998, he studied in Paris and
obtained a Master’s degree in theology. Upon his return, he resumed teaching at
Saigon Grand Seminary.
