Catholic Times - On 2nd January, a leader of Spain's Socialist Party has charged that Catholic Church leaders were playing partisan favorites with a December 30 rally that drew nearly 2 million pro-family demonstrators to Madrid.

"I have the impression that the Popular Party is now being run by cardinals" complained José Blanco, the secretary of the Socialist Party. He complained that the demonstration featured "unacceptable" criticism of the government.

Mardid - Catholic rally in favor of the traditional family

Hanoi: Nuns praying outside the building

Hanoi: A church on the street (Photo: VietCatholic)

Spain's bishops had explained that the December 30 rally-- which was convened by lay Catholic groups and pro-family organizations including non-Catholic ones -- was intended to show a strong support to the position of the hierarchy on traditional family and marriage. The purpose of the mass demonstration, according to bishops, was to clarify Catholics’ view points. It was performed within the framework of the Law, they argued.

Nevertheless, the massive crowd at the demonstration in Madrid resulted in panic responses from the socialist government due to the timing of parliamentary elections scheduled for March. Spain state television claimed that only about 165,000 people were present at the rally-- a figure that was roughly one-tenth of figures from police, presented in an effort to put down the impacts of the rally.

Since coming to power in 2004, Spain's government has frequently clashed with Catholic leaders on issues such as abortion, same-sex unions, and religious instruction in the schools.

In another event, on-going mass protests, a scare phenomenon in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, out broke in Hanoi drawing thousands Catholics to the street. The demonstrators have asked that the Church properties seized illegally by the government should be returned to them.

There continued to be prayer protests since 18th December after the release of a pastoral letter from archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi. In the letter, released on 15th December, archbishop Ngo told his congregation that the Apostolic Delegate’s Office within the premises of his palace was seized illegally by the government since 1959. It is reported that the office has been used for commercial purposes. It has disrupted badly his palace and the nearby cathedral. Also, Vietnam Conference of Catholic Bishops needs desperately a big enough meeting place, archbishop Ngo wrote.

He also noted that he and his predecessors and Vietnam Conference of Catholic Bishops have sent petitions to the authorities for the return of the building. However, their petitions have gone unanswered.

Vietnam has been listed in The International Religious Freedom report, submitted to US Congress annually by the Department of State, as a country where its citizens have been subjected to government censorship, hate crimes, discrimination and violence for their thoughts and beliefs.

Mass protests in Hanoi, as those in Madrid, raised deep concerns for the socialist government. Mass media controlled by Vietnam government have reported nothing on demonstrations of Hanoi’s Catholics in front of the former Apostolic Delegate’s Office, even after the visit of Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to the archbishopric palace on last Sunday.

Dung saw by his eyes people praying in front of the building and waiting in long queues to sign a petition for its return to the Church. However, so far, no concrete solution has been reached to satisfy the legitimate aspiration of Hanoi’s Catholics.

People keep coming to pray on the street in front of the building. They have virtually converted it into an open church.