Thai Binh Bishop Francis Nguyen Van Sang has denied Vietnamese government claims that the Dong Chiem crucifix was “dismantled”, saying that “debris from the explosion was everywhere” as evidenced by many photos.

Bishop Francis Nguyen Van Sang

“The crucifix was smashed by sledge-hammers and blown up by explosives. Armed soldiers and police men who participated in the attack, along with parishioners who rushed to the site and witnessed the incident knew it clearly,” Bishop Nguyen Van Sang said, Viet Catholic reports.

“No, it was not dismantled as distorted by The Vietnamese News Agency in a report that contradicted the statement of the archdiocese of Hanoi,” he added.

“The debris from the explosion was everywhere, as shown in the photos on the electronic website www.vietcatholic.org. Whether crucifix had been ‘dismantled’ or ’smashed up’, let the fact speak for itself. No one can deny it,” he continued.

Responding to the accusation that the crucifix had been illegally constructed on top of Mount Che from 3-4 March 2009, Fr Nguyen Van Huu, the parish priest, responded that the crucifix had been there for years. “Last year, we only consolidated it, something that has always been there.”

Bishop Nguyen added that the consolidation was “surely approved by local authorities at various levels” at least verbally, “because during the course of the construction people of faith or no faith had been hauling all kinds of constructing materials to the site of the crucifix before the very eyes of the authority in broad daylight, not during the night.”

It was reported that local authorities including Lieu, the head of the Communist Party of Dong Chiem, came to share the joy with parishioners at a celebration party after the crucifix had successfully been constructed, VietCatholic says.

In a written statement, Lieu confirmed the Jan. 6 attack on the parishioners, expressing his disagreement with the destruction of the cross that caused some parishioners to be injured.

“In the 2010 Jubilee’s spirit of communion and dialogue and as suggested by bishops of northern dioceses, a solution that cause the least damage should be sought,” Bishop Nguyen proposed.

“Practically, I think we should hold a meeting for both sides to exchange ideas in a peaceful manner which promises to cause the least damage to both sides if there is any.”

He urged the government “to allow the re-construction of the crucifix on Mount Worship to be carried out without interference.”