Hanoi –

Pray every day until the justice prevails

Nuns ouside the former Apostolic Delegate’s Office

Light candles ouside the former Apostolic Delegate’s Office

Since December 18th, thousands of Catholics in the archdiocese of Hanoi have organized peaceful demonstrations outside the former Apostolic Delegate's Office to ask that the communist government returns the building to the archdiocese.

Demonstrations out broke after the release of a pastoral letter from Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet in which he told Catholics in Hanoi that his petition to the communist government for the return of the building seemed to go nowhere. In the letter dated December 15th, he asked the Catholic community to pray intensively so that justice would prevail.

On October 18, 1951, Pope Pius XII appointed Archbishop John Jarlath Dooley, S.S.C.M.E as Apostolic Delegate to Indochina. Part of archbishop’s palace was used as his office.

Soon after the communists took control North Vietnam, it was reported that archbishop Dooley was poisoned and was evacuated out of Vietnam for treatment in 1959. A few weeks after, Hanoi expelled all staff of the Apostolic Delegate’s Office. Despite the fact that the Apostolic Delegate’s Office was part of archbishop’s palace and legally owned by the Catholic Church in Vietnam, the communists confiscated the building.

Since then, the communists have used the building for various purposes. Recently, they used the building for commercial gain. The situation became unbearable when the building was converted in to a night club. The high volume music in the club disrupts church services in the nearby Hanoi Cathedral.

Archbishop Kiet as well as his predecessors have continuously requested in vain for the return of the building.

On the night of December 18th, more than 2000 Catholics gathered outside the building with candles in their hands praying for the justice. The government responded by deploying more police men as an expression of menace. Nevertheless, every day hundreds or thousands people keep coming to the building. They stand outside it, quietly praying.

During Christmas Vigil, a crowd of about 4000 candle-holders sang and prayed in front of the building.

Catholics in Hanoi made a resolution that they will pray and light candles in front of the building until it is returned to the Catholic Church.