V
VietCatholic83
Guest
The situation for the faithful in Hanoi, Viet Nam is becoming increasingly perilous. Please pray for Vietnamese Christians.
They are peacefully “protesting” the illegal seizure of Church property which mostly took place in the 1970s and when the communists took power. These “protests” consists of thousands gathering at the sites and praying the rosary, erecting statues of Our Lady and a crucifix. The police have engaged in attempts to threaten the faithful but they have been undeterred. with the threat of imprisonment, the Redemptorists have said they are prepared to go to jail. see the link for more info.
Hundreds police have been mobilized for a raid in Hanoi to hunt for Catholic activists who have been leading demonstrations at Hanoi Redemptorist monastery. Local Catholic sources in Hanoi confirm that so far at least three people, including an elder woman, have been arrested on Thursday morning.
Police raiding a Catholic protestor’s house
Some parishioners, who took part in protests at the site, were also summoned to police stations. In an incident, 30 police men were deployed at the site to arrest Nguyen Thi Nhi, a protestor woman who has camped at the site since January.
Hanoi Redemptorists report that despite these threatening moves of security forces, hundreds religious and lay people kept praying at the site under the presence of large numbers of security police, in uniform and in plain-clothes, surrounding the protestors and mingling in their ranks, taking photos and filming with video cameras.
On Wednesday, with the clear intention of intimidation, Hanoi police announced at a press conference that they had launched a “criminal investigation” against Hanoi Redemptorists charging the religious with using their influence to incite the faithful in a confrontation with the government, destroying state property, assembling and praying illegally in public areas, and disturbing the public order.
In an open letter sent to Vietnam prime minister, the chairman of the Congress, and the Supreme Court released Thursday morning, the religious order criticizes the move asking for constructive dialogue respecting truth, justice, and law.
State-run media in Ho Chi Minh city (formerly known as Saigon) which, until recently, had stayed away from the Church land disputes in Hanoi, have “swamped in” the campaign of disinformation and threats. The Voice of Vietnam has repeatedly warned Catholic hierarchies in Saigon that any attempts to disturb public order will be punished severely. The warning has been issued after the provincial superior of the Redemptorists in Vietnam, Fr Vincent Nguyen Trung Thanh, sent a letter on last Sunday in which he urged all Redemptorists of Vietnam to be in solidarity with those of Hanoi, announcing a protest vigil at the Saigon Redemptorist monastery on Thursday 28 August.
vietcatholic.net/News/default.htm
They are peacefully “protesting” the illegal seizure of Church property which mostly took place in the 1970s and when the communists took power. These “protests” consists of thousands gathering at the sites and praying the rosary, erecting statues of Our Lady and a crucifix. The police have engaged in attempts to threaten the faithful but they have been undeterred. with the threat of imprisonment, the Redemptorists have said they are prepared to go to jail. see the link for more info.
Hundreds police have been mobilized for a raid in Hanoi to hunt for Catholic activists who have been leading demonstrations at Hanoi Redemptorist monastery. Local Catholic sources in Hanoi confirm that so far at least three people, including an elder woman, have been arrested on Thursday morning.
Police raiding a Catholic protestor’s house
Some parishioners, who took part in protests at the site, were also summoned to police stations. In an incident, 30 police men were deployed at the site to arrest Nguyen Thi Nhi, a protestor woman who has camped at the site since January.
Hanoi Redemptorists report that despite these threatening moves of security forces, hundreds religious and lay people kept praying at the site under the presence of large numbers of security police, in uniform and in plain-clothes, surrounding the protestors and mingling in their ranks, taking photos and filming with video cameras.
On Wednesday, with the clear intention of intimidation, Hanoi police announced at a press conference that they had launched a “criminal investigation” against Hanoi Redemptorists charging the religious with using their influence to incite the faithful in a confrontation with the government, destroying state property, assembling and praying illegally in public areas, and disturbing the public order.
In an open letter sent to Vietnam prime minister, the chairman of the Congress, and the Supreme Court released Thursday morning, the religious order criticizes the move asking for constructive dialogue respecting truth, justice, and law.
State-run media in Ho Chi Minh city (formerly known as Saigon) which, until recently, had stayed away from the Church land disputes in Hanoi, have “swamped in” the campaign of disinformation and threats. The Voice of Vietnam has repeatedly warned Catholic hierarchies in Saigon that any attempts to disturb public order will be punished severely. The warning has been issued after the provincial superior of the Redemptorists in Vietnam, Fr Vincent Nguyen Trung Thanh, sent a letter on last Sunday in which he urged all Redemptorists of Vietnam to be in solidarity with those of Hanoi, announcing a protest vigil at the Saigon Redemptorist monastery on Thursday 28 August.
vietcatholic.net/News/default.htm