Hanoi
The
Toa Kham Su (St. Joseph Cathedral) Incident
During the
end of December 2007, peaceful protests of the Catholics in Hanoi claiming back
the parcel of land near the“Toa Kham Su cu (Old Vatican Mission Siege) took
place. On December 30, 2007, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung came paid a visit to
the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet, supposedly to settle the matter. This emplacement
was confiscated by the Communist administration in 1959. The small piece of
land covers 1ha2, and the Hanoi archdiocese, in principle, is the legal
proprietor. It still holds with it the legal documents. Over the years, the
Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam has repeatedly requested the administration to
render the area to the archdiocese. The late Cardinal Paul Joseph Pham Dinh
Tung had many times sent his requests, and Bishop Ngo Quang Kiet also sent his
yearly. These requests nevertheless came to no answer.
On December 20, 2007, after the celebration of
ordination of 16 assistant celebrants at Hanoi Grand Seminary, the laity came
to and prayed at the site. The incident suddenly caused a serious problem to
the regime. It was the first time the citizens in the North expressed
dissidence in public, ever since the Viet Minh takeover of Hanoi in 1954. On
January 5-6, after the Saturday and Sunday Masses at the St. Joseph Cathedral, the
defacto siege of the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam, priests and the parishioners
continually held parties of prayers and night vigils at the site. The People’s
Council of Hanoi, in its letter to the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam and the
Archbishop of Hanoi, charged the participants with violations of the law, causing
public disorder. It demanded that mass gatherings be stopped. The Archbishop of
Hanoi, in his reply, refuted the allegations. The laity committed no violation
of the law; there is no law that interdicts the citizens to take part in
religious parties for prayers.
Tension never eased. In the regular news conference
on January 24 in Hanoi the spokesman of the State Le Dung declared that land
belongs to the State and organizations and individuals are entitled to the
rights to use it only. He also announced that the People’s Council of Hanoi
would consider the need of the Church and settle the matter in accordance with
the law. On January 25, thousands of Catholics marched through the streets in
central Hanoi, saying prayers and demanding the State to under the estates of
the Catholic Church which the State had unlawfully dispossessed of it. The
followers, led by a priest in a white tunic carrying a Crucifix and a brass
band, marched through the streets from the Hoan Kiem area to the St. Joseph
Cathedral. The following day, January 26, 2008, the People's Council of Hanoi imposed
a ban on gatherings in the streets. By 3 P.M. January 27, police dispersed all
gatherings and removed the crucifix and the statue of the Virgin Mary the
followers had erected in the site. The follower resisted with resilience.
Protest rally for prayers continued. The protesters demanded that the estate
belonging to the St. Joseph Cathedral be returned to the Archdiocese of Hanoi.
The official journals An Ninh Quan Doi (Security of the Army) and Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi), on January 26, justified with
argument and the current law that the estate is under the management of the
State in accordance with the law. Moreover, the property ownership to the land
was handed over to the administration by the late official manager of the
archdiocese, the Reverend Nguyen Tung Cuong. The argument was unsustainable. The
Reverend Tran Cong Nigh, Director of Viet Catholic News Agency, explained in an
interview with the RFA that the argument is not only legally baseless but also in
convincing. According to the laws of the Church, a priest is entitled to no
rights whatsoever to offer the property of the diocese. He is not the owner of
that property. The bishop of the diocese is vested with the rights concerned;
he is the decision maker.
On January 28, the official Voice of Vietnam announced
that the rally was illegal, causing impact on the lives of the residents in the
quarters nearby. It was in violation of
the Ordinance on Religions and Beliefs. The government spokesman Le Dung,
again, explained that, under the Constitution, the State owns all land and
organizations and citizens are entitled only to purchase land usage rights.
Meanwhile police conducted a criminal probe into a hidden scheme behind the
rally. Tension intensified. The protesters removed the gates to the outer area
of the property, planted a cross at the entrance, and set up tents. The situation
at the siege was quiet. However, anger was felt in the parishes. The official
press published articles alleging that the population was fooled around and
incited to agitation by some leaders of the Church. State media fastened the
blame on the archdiocese, repeating the argument that the estates of the
Archdiocese of Hanoi had been offered to the State by the official manager of
the Church. In response, the Archbishop of Hanoi, in his letter sent to the
director of Hanoi Television, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Tuoi Tre (The
Youth), and the editor in chief of the journal An Ninh Thu Do (City Security)
calling for respect for the truth. The Hanoi Archdiocese has full legal
documents as regards the ownership of the property and all rights therefrom.
On January 29, hundreds of Catholics in Hanoi rallied
for prayers within the St. Joseph Cathedral, regardless of threat of repression.
The authorities ordered that parties of prayers be stopped, if not, strictest
measures could be carried out. Talks between the authorities and the Archbishop
of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet began to take place while the laity continued to gather
to say prayers. On February 2, in his letter to the priests, student-priests,
and the laity of Hanoi, the Archbishop informed that there had been concrete
results after the dialogue between the administration of Hanoi and the Episcopal
Conference of Vietnam. In response to the call for reconciliation from the
prelacy, the Catholic laity of Hanoi temporarily ceased to perform parties for
prayers, destined to demand the return of the estate to the Church. The Archbishop
of Hanoi expressed hope that the State would render to the Church its estate.
He also wished the State and the Church would take concrete steps to solve the
problem. Meanwhile, the Vatican called on
the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam in Hanoi to end resistance with gatherings
for prayers. The authorities still came up with no solution. Rallies for
prayers continued.
The official Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi), on August 21,
urged on the Church leadership of Hanoi
to call on the followers to stop their demonstration. On September 9, the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo
Quang Kiet openly defended the cause. The Catholicism was only asking for the
return of the land of the Church. He particularly referred to the cause for
demonstration by Thai Ha parishioners to demand the return of the parish
property. The demands in this and the other case were legitimate and legal. Moreover,
the protests were peaceful. There was no violation of the law. There was no
disruption of social order and security. Neither was there inconvenience
affecting the lives of the people. The parishioners had nothing in their hand and
did nothing but saying prayers. The official media still spread propaganda
with charges and blame. The archbishop preached peace and non-violence
Chaos occurred when, on September 9, some 200
policemen with 2 mechanized vehicles came to bulldoze the constructions in the
interior of the St. Joseph Cathedral at Pho Nha Chung (Catholic Mission Street).
At 4:00 in the morning, they began to dismantle the fence. Police blocked the area
with barbed wires, closing entrances to the surrounding quarters of the
archdiocese, the Order for Sisters of the Cross, and the monastery and schools.
Nguyen Trung Thanh, Office chief of the People‘s Council of Hanoi, declared
that the State was proceeding the clearing of the land to build in it a library
and a park. The State was in no need to consult with the parish because the
site belongs to the State. The blockade of the area drew a gathering of
hundreds of Catholics in front of the Mission, regardless of the presence of
the police force on guard. The Catholic priest Nguyen Van Khai said that the
followers were struggling for peace and justice. They were not afraid and ready
to die. Nguyen Trung Thanh, on the other side, said the followers would not be
punished as long as they would commit no acts of violence.
On September 19, the State said it had notified the
archdiocese of its plan of work at the site. The priests, on their part, said
they had not heard anything about such a notice. The situation suddenly grew
tense when an AFP correspondent was arrested and beaten while at work by the
security police. The police sealed with barbed wires the Archdiocese buildings,
the Order of Sisters of the Cross quarters, and the Old Vatican Mission Seat.
Dogs for security crowded on both sidewalks inside the archdiocese quarters. Priests and followers rallied for prayers.
From 4:00 A.M., the ground clearance at the Mission Seat began. Mechanized
vehicles broke down the fence in the front. Materials of all kinds were removed
outside. Groundwork for a green park started as planned.
At 8:00 A.M. of September 21, after the morning Mass
at the Main Cathedral of Hanoi, more than 5,000 Catholics flocked in groups to
the Mission site. There, they gathered, prayed, and chanted songs, challenging police
threat at the entrance. The gathering was growing larger as the security police
tightened the siege. No clash occurred, however. On September 22, a meeting
between the People’s Council of Hanoi and the Archbishop of Hanoi took place.
The Chairman of the People's Council of Hanoi and the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo
Quang Kiet exchanged views on a number of issues among which were the questions
on and solutions to a variety of problems. Among the issues were the relations
between the State and the Church and the conduct of affairs of the administration,
the dispute over land between the authorities of the State and the Church, and
the Church’s claims over the disputed estate. While recognizing the goodwill of
the administration, the Archbishop of Hanoi expressed deep concerns over a
variety of remaining difficulties. The People Council of Hanoi had created favorable
condition for certain religious activities. However, “there still exists a
psychology of “apply for-- be granted,” that is, “to grant a privilege.”
Religious freedom is necessarily a right of man. The State for the people is
responsible for creating this right. It is a right and not a privilege.” The presentation of the archbishop came to no
concrete response. The dispute grew tense. Parishioners from six various
parishes in and around Hanoi traveled came in buses to join in the parties of
prayers. They rallied in a sit-in demonstration close to the barriers where construction
works of the green park was going on.
Dating back from decades in the past, the priests
and laity of the Hanoi archdiocese had long aspired to have the Old Mission Siege
returned to the Church. This is a long story. This historic site had been dilapidated
as years went by. Until 2002, there had only existed within it a center of
activities for the youths of Hoan Kiem Precinct, mostly for the children of
Catholic families of the local parish.
It was then taken down, and a cultural center was built in its place.
This construction has disfigured not only the religious appearance of the
archdiocese but also paralyzed the religious life of the followers. The
archdiocese had tried in vain to remedy the situation as the Church is no
longer the actual proprietor.
On September 25, the People’s Council of Hanoi sent
a letter to the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam requesting it to consider a
measure to neutralize the intervention of the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang
Kiet. It even stressed that the archbishop had done things that are contrary to
the current religious laws of the Catholic Church. In his reply, Bishop Nguyen
Van Nhon, Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam, clarified that the
Archbishop of Hanoi has done nothing contrary to the current religious laws of
the Roman Catholic Church of Vietnam.
The sea-saw dispute over land dragged on. On
September 28, the authorities of Hoan Kiem Precinct voluntarily had the statue
of the Lady of Patheo and the worship objects at 42nd Quarters removed and
taken away. Crowds of followers flocked in. The news spread, flaming up the
followers’ humiliation. This authorities’ action was viewed as an act of theft.
However, the masses did not know what to do. They gathered in groups, crying
out. The police stood by, watching. On October 1, a meeting between the
authorities from the central administration and the representatives from the Episcopal
Conference of Vietnam took place at the Archdiocese of Hanoi. Police stations were posited around the
area. No information on the dialogue between the two parties was heard. The authorities
of Hoan Kiem Precinct nevertheless showed an attitude of reconciliation. It
voluntarily established contacts with the Archdiocese of Hanoi and seemed not
to interfere in parties of prayers of the followers that were in attendance at
the Main Cathedral. Curiously enough, while maintaining reconciliation with the
faithful, the administration leveled charge against the Archdiocese for
violating the laws. The followers flatly
refuted the charge. It only revealed an act of dishonesty of the State,
dissimulating a hidden scheme. It illegally dispossessed the land of the Church
while leveling charges against it. The land of the Church must be returned to
it. There exist until the present day no State laws that provide rules to settle
land dispute in this amber.
The reconciliation of the State brought little
progress for a solution to the dispute. Rumors asking the Archbishop of Hanoi
Ngo Quang Kiet to resign from position circulated here and there in the city.
Still, semiofficial sources divulged news about house surveillance should be placed
on the Archbishop, and restrictions on his movement about should be also
imposed on him.
On October 15, the People’s Council of Hanoi
announced in a conference of the representatives of foreign embassies in
Vietnam that it would make a proposal aimed to send the Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo
Quang Kiet out of the Capital. Nguyen the
Thao, Chairman of the People’s Council, stressed that the decision was executed
in response to the wishes of the people and the Catholic laity of the Capital.
The official publicly declared that the cause of the recent troubles in the
Capital originated from a number of Catholic priests with Archbishop Ngo Quang
Kiet at the head. This high dignitary of
the Church took advantage of recent troubles to violate the laws. The charges
aggravated the situation. Indignation was felt throughout the parishes in and
around Hanoi. No one knew what would happen to the prelacy of the archdiocese
in the days to come.
