Hanoi (AsiaNews) – The Sisters of Saint Paul in Hanoi are frustrated and without any hope as they wait for the Hanoi government to demolish their home and property any moment now. The same frustration is shared by the diocese that has continuously called for justice for the sisters. Meanwhile today, the AsiaNews website - which yesterday denounced this latest violence against the Church - has been blocked.

The home of the Sisters of Saint Paul in downtown Hanoi, was confiscated almost in its entirety by the Communist government in 1954. A small portion was restored to the nuns in time allowing them to open a dispensary for the poor, a residence for orphaned children and provide a shelter for young girls in difficulty.

Now the government wants to demolish the entire complex to erect a four story hospital: at least this is the official version explaining their actions. However, to date many Church properties which - according to Vietnamese law - should return to their rightful owners, have been seized and made out as private property to members of the party, becoming a source of lucrative gains due to the housing construction boom.

Each year the sisters have petitioned the government to get the property back, but have never received a response. "No one – says one nun - can promise us justice because everyone is afraid of retaliation and revenge."

The auxiliary bishop of Hanoi, Mgr. Lawrence Chu Van Minh, has often defended the right of the sisters to get the property back. But nothing happened.