Catholics demonstrate in Ha Dong for the return of a building commandeered by the government
Ha Dong (AsiaNews) - More than 1,000 Catholics demonstrated yesterday evening in the city of Ha Dong, to demand the return of a parish building seized illegally by the local government 30 years ago. The parish pastor, Fr Joseph Nguyễn Ngọc Hinh, and his associate, carrying a large cross, led a procession to the walls of the commandeered residence. The priests, religious, and numerous faithful prayed for hours beneath the rain.
The prayer protest was similar to the one that Catholics in Hanoi have been carrying out for weeks to ask for the return of the old Vatican nunciature, which the government wants to use for restaurants and night clubs.
Ha Dong is a city of 200,000 inhabitants, 40 kilometres from Hanoi. The demonstrations began last January 6. The parish building was commandeered 30 years ago, and was used for the offices of the Ha Dong people's committee. The faithful have for many years demanded that the parish be returned to its rightful owners.
Recently, the people's committee was moved, leaving the building empty. Fr Nguyễn resumed the initiative of requesting its return. The local government's only response has been to declare that the building was "given" to the government by a "parish leader" in 1977.
Fr Nguyễn has clarified that no parishioner has the right to "donate" buildings that belong to the diocese. According to information that he has obtained, the "parish leader" spoken of by the government was in effect a member of the communist party, whom the government itself had appointed as head of the parish council. One of his first decisions was to donate the property to the government.
A protest similar to the one conducted by the Catholics of Ha Dong is taking place in Hanoi. Yesterday, some Catholics of the capital were beaten by the police for trying to enter the courtyard of the old nunciature, to raise a cross and place flowers beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary. The faithful suffered injuries and were jailed.
Today, the bishop of Thai Binh, Francis Nguyen Van Sang, published a letter of solidarity with the faithful who were beaten, and with the archbishop of Hanoi, Joseph Ngô Quang Kiệt. He also asked the authorities to show restraint, and to accept the Church's advice for resolving the problem.
According to the authorities, the action by the faithful in Hanoi was a "premeditated" provocation, and the bishop of Hanoi is "using religious freedom to provoke the government".
.png)
28/08/2008
