A Christmas Greetings letter from “Patriotic Catholics” has stirred up a heated debate on the question over who really is “the actual master” of the Catholic Church in Vietnam.
The said letter of the so-called "Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics” (VCSC), originally published on Dec. 19 on the "An Ninh Thu Do" (Capital Security) Newspaper, has quickly been spread on most other state-run media outlets on following days. The incident has caused great concerns among Catholics in Vietnam due to the unusual language of the letter and the overwhelming support of state media.
Using the phrase “The Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics and the Catholic Church in Vietnam”, the “patriotic” association sent Christmas Greetings to “all faithful and people of the entire nation".
Vietnamese people are especially sensitive to the order in which people or entities are mentioned in a sentence as it sharply reflects their respective level of significance or respect among the community; and in some cases may even reflect the “master and slave” relationship. Thus, for sensitive Catholic activists, the wording of the letter as a voice of superior authority and its being published on the police newspaper signify a new wave of attempts of Vietnam government to achieve its everlasting, burning desire to ultimately put the Catholic Church under its control.
Their fear has been consolidated by what have just happened in the Eighth Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives in China. Throughout history, the Vietnam communist government has been faithfully copying from its Chinese counterpart countless of social strategies in dealing with the public, snaky measures to control religious communities, in particular.
The recent resumption of bustling activities of the “patriotic” association and the “extraordinarily well treatment” that church leaders have granted to members of the patriotic association make the fear intensified.
Typically, in the archdiocese of Saigon, where most active "patriotic" priests reside, Catholic activists loyal to Rome complaint that priests who are members of the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics have been being “well rewarded” with appointments at “key churches”. Some of these appointments seem to violate gravely the Church law.
One of outstanding cases involves Fr. Phan Khac Tu, vice-chairman of the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics and the editor of the “Catholics and People”. This magazine – despite its name- has been steadily powered by the government since July 1975, notorious for its fierce and frequent attacks against Pope John Paul II and the Vatican.
Fr. Phan, a member of the Communist party, has been assigned pastor to the Church of Vietnamese Martyrs at Vuon Xoai, one of largest churches in the archdiocese while fathering two children, and husbanding a woman who reportedly had made public statements confirming their ongoing relationship. For many faithful, to let a communist, uncelibate priest “run” the church is not only to set the Church law at defiance but also to insult the Vietnamese martyrs whose gave their blood and their lives to set examples of faith.
Some with optimistic views and great sympathy towards archdiocese leaders have explained this scandalous "exemption from celibacy" as "the price the Church has to pay in return for productive 'dialogues' with the communist government". Others see this appointment as a typical example of the control, at some levels, of the communists in the Church life, warning that such a violation of the Canon Law may cause negative effects in the life of the Church; and such a compromise actually does not help to improve the dialogue between the Church and the State if not to backfire.
Vietnam, like China, has always been keen on the religious policy in order to achieve the absolute control. So far, bishops still cannot be appointed without government approval. Even the appointment of priests within a diocese cannot be done without local authority’s endorsement. The secret police and religious police are following things very attentively. Compromises with the atheist government, hence, have been made in many aspects in the hope that they may make things a lot easier.
However, a remark of Card. Joseph Zen Zekiun still resonates among those who concern for the future of the Church: “We all know that the Communists crush those who are weak, while in front of the firm, sometimes they can also change their attitude.”
The said letter of the so-called "Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics” (VCSC), originally published on Dec. 19 on the "An Ninh Thu Do" (Capital Security) Newspaper, has quickly been spread on most other state-run media outlets on following days. The incident has caused great concerns among Catholics in Vietnam due to the unusual language of the letter and the overwhelming support of state media.
Using the phrase “The Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics and the Catholic Church in Vietnam”, the “patriotic” association sent Christmas Greetings to “all faithful and people of the entire nation".
Vietnamese people are especially sensitive to the order in which people or entities are mentioned in a sentence as it sharply reflects their respective level of significance or respect among the community; and in some cases may even reflect the “master and slave” relationship. Thus, for sensitive Catholic activists, the wording of the letter as a voice of superior authority and its being published on the police newspaper signify a new wave of attempts of Vietnam government to achieve its everlasting, burning desire to ultimately put the Catholic Church under its control.
Their fear has been consolidated by what have just happened in the Eighth Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives in China. Throughout history, the Vietnam communist government has been faithfully copying from its Chinese counterpart countless of social strategies in dealing with the public, snaky measures to control religious communities, in particular.
The recent resumption of bustling activities of the “patriotic” association and the “extraordinarily well treatment” that church leaders have granted to members of the patriotic association make the fear intensified.
Typically, in the archdiocese of Saigon, where most active "patriotic" priests reside, Catholic activists loyal to Rome complaint that priests who are members of the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics have been being “well rewarded” with appointments at “key churches”. Some of these appointments seem to violate gravely the Church law.
One of outstanding cases involves Fr. Phan Khac Tu, vice-chairman of the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity of Catholics and the editor of the “Catholics and People”. This magazine – despite its name- has been steadily powered by the government since July 1975, notorious for its fierce and frequent attacks against Pope John Paul II and the Vatican.
Fr. Phan, a member of the Communist party, has been assigned pastor to the Church of Vietnamese Martyrs at Vuon Xoai, one of largest churches in the archdiocese while fathering two children, and husbanding a woman who reportedly had made public statements confirming their ongoing relationship. For many faithful, to let a communist, uncelibate priest “run” the church is not only to set the Church law at defiance but also to insult the Vietnamese martyrs whose gave their blood and their lives to set examples of faith.
Some with optimistic views and great sympathy towards archdiocese leaders have explained this scandalous "exemption from celibacy" as "the price the Church has to pay in return for productive 'dialogues' with the communist government". Others see this appointment as a typical example of the control, at some levels, of the communists in the Church life, warning that such a violation of the Canon Law may cause negative effects in the life of the Church; and such a compromise actually does not help to improve the dialogue between the Church and the State if not to backfire.
Vietnam, like China, has always been keen on the religious policy in order to achieve the absolute control. So far, bishops still cannot be appointed without government approval. Even the appointment of priests within a diocese cannot be done without local authority’s endorsement. The secret police and religious police are following things very attentively. Compromises with the atheist government, hence, have been made in many aspects in the hope that they may make things a lot easier.
However, a remark of Card. Joseph Zen Zekiun still resonates among those who concern for the future of the Church: “We all know that the Communists crush those who are weak, while in front of the firm, sometimes they can also change their attitude.”