Vu Nhi Cong

On 7 July, at least 5 hectares of woodland were destroyed. Police, foresters and thugs videotaped the disaster and then set to plant new trees to claim the land. A police captain from Thủy Bằng is behind the operations of deforestation and reforestation.

Many initiatives and conferences have taken place throughout the area, attracting thousands of Catholics. The local Church can count on more than a thousand catechists, to whom every year priests and pastors offer training courses together with the pastoral committees of the various communities.

Tens of thousands of faithful and hundreds of priests took part in Mgr Joseph Nguyễn Đức Cường’s episcopal nomination. " Put out into deep water" (Lk 5:4) is his motto. The bishop succeeds Mgr Joseph Nguyễn Chí Linh, bishop of the diocese since 2004 and archbishop of Huế since 2016.

For historians, the Montagnards are a “righteous minority in their own homeland”. Poverty, deforestation, intensive agriculture and pollution are the most critical emergencies. Despite the persecution, the Church offers material and spiritual support and offers many social and charitable activities to them.

The National Assembly is preparing to vote on conceding Vân Đồn, Bắc Vân Phong and Phú Quốc as economic zones. For former lawmaker Nguyễn Minh Thuyết, largescale investments is leading to intensive and harmful exploitation of the environment. Catholic teacher fears that Chinese domination will threaten Vietnamese Catholicism.

Through threats and pressures, the authorities have seized residents’ homes at low prices and sold them high to investors. The People's Committee intends to expropriate land belonging to the Catholic community. For Fr Vĩnh Sang, Redemptorist priest, "in the name of the process of dialogue between the Holy See and the State, some ‘leading figures’ have asked the victims to remain silent”. To defend justice, truth and human rights, Catholics must be “messengers of the Gospel”, says Mgr Micae Hoàng Đức Oanh.

With an investment of almost US$ 5 billion, China is set to build the Sambor dam in Cambodia. According to experts, it will have a very negative impact on the natural environment and on the Cambodians and Vietnamese living in the Mekong Delta. The great river provides food security to about 60 million people living in the settlements along its course.

Mgr Joseph Châu Ngọc Tri, bishop of Lạng Sơn and Cao Bằng said, “We offer our lives as if they were flowers to [. . .] Our Lady.” Five colours symbolise the graces the Vietnamese ask from Our Lady. In Ho Chi Minh City, thousands take part in the ceremony organised by the Sisters of the St Thomas Institute.

The Centre of Compassion for Disabled Children in Long Xuyen Diocese educates hundreds of children with mental and physical disabilities each year, enabling them to break free from misery.

Catholic organisation helps young women avoid abortions. Now it wants to help HIV-positive patients but lacks money and permits.

The government might have made entry to seminaries easier, but facilities remain inadequate. Card Pham Minh Man talks to AsiaNews about problems and hopes.

Cardinal Pham Minh Man: "We must do our utmost to prevent the spread of the disease and to give love and support to HIV-positive people."