Thanh Thúy

Convicted on subversion charges, Nguyễn Đặng Minh Mân has endured "repeated" cases of "ill-treatment". Held in solitary confinement, she is physically exhausted by her experience. Despite abuses, she continues to fight for the rights of other prisoners. Human rights activists and UN agency have appealed for her release.

Thousands of young people who would have liked to have travelled to Krakow for WYD could not do so for economic reasons. Yet, they are committed to praying for the pope and putting into practice his message of mercy. Many students join charities and save money to donate to the poor. Young people need to become “protagonists” in the life of the Church.

The Diocese of Nha Trang held the second annual conference of Vietnamese bishops. The non-permanent representative of the Holy See and some 26 prelates from around the country took part in the event. For the president of the Bishops' Conference, families are "houses of prayer" open to "solidarity and mutual sharing."

Due to the lack of interest on the part of the Vietnamese government, thousands of people die of HIV every year. Haiphong alone has had more than 10,000 people with HIV/AIDS by June of this year. In the Year of Faith, the local Caritas and the Health Education Centre worked together to provide care and psychological and spiritual support to patients.

At least 5,000 people attended the Mass celebrated in Saigon last Saturday to mark the end of the Year of Faith proclaimed by Benedict XVI. The new bishop coadjutor, Card Pham Minh Man, other bishops and priests led the service, which was preceded by a joint prayer before the statue of Our Lady of Peace.

The faithful filled the country's churches and cathedrals with enthusiasm and participation in response to Pope Bergoglio's call. Becoming "one in Christ" and strengthening the ideal of "unity and communion" with the Church universal were among the many intentions. Special thoughts were devoted to the victims of war, crisis and religious persecution.

Card Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man celebrated Mass in Notre-Dame Cathedral before 2,000 people. The cardinal thanked God for the new pontiff, "an example of humility, empathy and compassion." For Catholics, the event provided an opportunity to be "more steadfast in faith" and "witnesses of the Gospel in an increasingly secularised world."

The memory of the 130,000 martyrs of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries helps us to face the challenges of consumerism and compromise with power. The prayer for the martyrs of the present times, the Catholics arrested and persecuted by the government in Vinh, Hanoi, Thanh Hóa, Long An, Xuân Lộc, Cà Mau.

Vietnamese Bishops' Conference plenary concluded today in Xuan Loc, in the south. Among the topics the bishops' pastoral work in a country affected by continuous violations of religious freedom, social injustice and economic crisis