In the last episode of waves of harassments against Vietnamese Redemptorists, police in Tan Son Nhat airport prevented the Provincial Superior of the Order to leave the country for a religious Conference in Singapore. The incident has sparked concerns on hard-line crackdowns against Redemptorists.
In an interview with VietCatholic News this morning, Fr. Vincent Pham Trung Thanh, Vietnam’s Redemptorist Provincial Superior expressed his frustration towards continual harassments against his confreres and himself. The incident on Sunday July 10 is a typical example.
"Police stopped me at the last checkpoint after I had completed all the procedures in the airport before boarding a flight to Singapore to attend the Redemptorist Conference of Provincials for Eastern Asia and Oceania," he told VietCatholic News.
The Conference has been held at the monastery of Noveda Singapore from July 11. It has just been concluded today July 13.
"They took me into custody for hours before telling me to return home without any clear explanations,” he added accusing police of violently trampling his freedom of movement and violating against the law.
The incident prompted Vietnam Redemptorist Province to issue a Press Release, alleging Saigon police of grossly violating its Superior's religious rights by preventing him to leave the country to attend a religious event and denying him the right to celebrate missal mass at a prolife gathering.
It's worth to note that according to Vietnam law with the exceptions of wanted criminals and fugitives who have already been charged with crimes, those who are not allowed to leave the country should be informed in advance at least one month.
The Superior, himself, has sent his protest letter to the city's Committee for Religious Affairs outlining his agony at the airport where he was detained by the security forces and informed that he belonged to the list of those who are not permitted to leave the country.
This is the second time the Redemptorist provincial superior was prevented to leave the country. On December 28 last year, similar incident happened when he took a plane to USA.
A few weeks earlier, local officials summoned him to attend "working sessions" at a local government office. At the meeting, representatives of state administration for religious affairs and local officials took turns criticizing Redemptorists for allegedly “preaching anti-government sentiment, instigators of disorder, inciting riots, falsely accusing the government, disrespecting the nation, breaking and ridiculing the law, and instigating others to violate it.”
The Redemptorist province in Vietnam is the largest religious community in Asia. Over the past twenty years, the province has grown in size from 179 professed members in 1983 to 278 today, including 168 priests who live in about 20 houses scattered throughout the country. There are also 222 postulants.
They are known and admired for playing an active role in fighting on behalf of the poor and the helpless against social evils and injustice. This has made the Order a thorn in the eyes of Vietnam authorities that waves of efforts have been made to hinder the Order’s pastoral activities and its growth. According to Fr. Pham, he has been singled out by Vietnam secret police for harassment since the Thai Ha- Hanoi Nuncio incident took place in 2008 where his fellow Redemptorist had offered both physical and spiritual support during the massive protest of parishioners against government illegal land appropriation. He was then prohibited to officiate masses at various occasions, typically at rallies organized by Vietnam Caritas to support and promote the prolife movement which he co-founded 10 years ago with Fr. Le Quang Uy, another Redemptorist.
Most recently the Redemptorists have announced the decision to hold candle vigils for dissidents who had been jailed for raising peacefully their concerns on the submissiveness of Vietnam to China in the national sovereignty and integrity.
As the Provincial Superior has found himself repeatedly falling victim to serious harassments of the Vietnamese communist regime, there are growing concerns among Catholics that following a series of government's harsh crackdowns on these dissidents, now the government seems to turn to religious figures who dare to express publicly their grave concerns for the national security and social injustice, and question the stance of the government in the wake of the Chinese aggression.
When asked if he would like to send a message out to the public, the priest expressed his profound concern for the future of the Church in Vietnam where religious rights and moral values are being lowered to the lowest of all time, in which its ripple effect can be harmful for generations to come. He also called for the Catholics to be united in the love of God, and prayers for the Church as well as for the country
“I am deeply concerned for the situation going on in Vietnam my home country, where everyone are feeling helpless watching it piece by piece slipping into the hand of the Chinese aggressors, and the government is being more occupied with arresting and punishing the patriots rather than fighting for the national integrity of our homeland,” he said.
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| Fr. Vincent Pham Trung Thanh, Vietnam’s Redemptorist Provincial Superior |
"Police stopped me at the last checkpoint after I had completed all the procedures in the airport before boarding a flight to Singapore to attend the Redemptorist Conference of Provincials for Eastern Asia and Oceania," he told VietCatholic News.
The Conference has been held at the monastery of Noveda Singapore from July 11. It has just been concluded today July 13.
"They took me into custody for hours before telling me to return home without any clear explanations,” he added accusing police of violently trampling his freedom of movement and violating against the law.
The incident prompted Vietnam Redemptorist Province to issue a Press Release, alleging Saigon police of grossly violating its Superior's religious rights by preventing him to leave the country to attend a religious event and denying him the right to celebrate missal mass at a prolife gathering.
It's worth to note that according to Vietnam law with the exceptions of wanted criminals and fugitives who have already been charged with crimes, those who are not allowed to leave the country should be informed in advance at least one month.
The Superior, himself, has sent his protest letter to the city's Committee for Religious Affairs outlining his agony at the airport where he was detained by the security forces and informed that he belonged to the list of those who are not permitted to leave the country.
This is the second time the Redemptorist provincial superior was prevented to leave the country. On December 28 last year, similar incident happened when he took a plane to USA.
A few weeks earlier, local officials summoned him to attend "working sessions" at a local government office. At the meeting, representatives of state administration for religious affairs and local officials took turns criticizing Redemptorists for allegedly “preaching anti-government sentiment, instigators of disorder, inciting riots, falsely accusing the government, disrespecting the nation, breaking and ridiculing the law, and instigating others to violate it.”
The Redemptorist province in Vietnam is the largest religious community in Asia. Over the past twenty years, the province has grown in size from 179 professed members in 1983 to 278 today, including 168 priests who live in about 20 houses scattered throughout the country. There are also 222 postulants.
They are known and admired for playing an active role in fighting on behalf of the poor and the helpless against social evils and injustice. This has made the Order a thorn in the eyes of Vietnam authorities that waves of efforts have been made to hinder the Order’s pastoral activities and its growth. According to Fr. Pham, he has been singled out by Vietnam secret police for harassment since the Thai Ha- Hanoi Nuncio incident took place in 2008 where his fellow Redemptorist had offered both physical and spiritual support during the massive protest of parishioners against government illegal land appropriation. He was then prohibited to officiate masses at various occasions, typically at rallies organized by Vietnam Caritas to support and promote the prolife movement which he co-founded 10 years ago with Fr. Le Quang Uy, another Redemptorist.
Most recently the Redemptorists have announced the decision to hold candle vigils for dissidents who had been jailed for raising peacefully their concerns on the submissiveness of Vietnam to China in the national sovereignty and integrity.
As the Provincial Superior has found himself repeatedly falling victim to serious harassments of the Vietnamese communist regime, there are growing concerns among Catholics that following a series of government's harsh crackdowns on these dissidents, now the government seems to turn to religious figures who dare to express publicly their grave concerns for the national security and social injustice, and question the stance of the government in the wake of the Chinese aggression.
When asked if he would like to send a message out to the public, the priest expressed his profound concern for the future of the Church in Vietnam where religious rights and moral values are being lowered to the lowest of all time, in which its ripple effect can be harmful for generations to come. He also called for the Catholics to be united in the love of God, and prayers for the Church as well as for the country
“I am deeply concerned for the situation going on in Vietnam my home country, where everyone are feeling helpless watching it piece by piece slipping into the hand of the Chinese aggressors, and the government is being more occupied with arresting and punishing the patriots rather than fighting for the national integrity of our homeland,” he said.