Manila (AsiaNews) – It is thanks to Radio Veritas, a Catholic radio station based in Manila in the Philippines, that the Montagnards and peasants in Vietnam’s poorest areas have since 1978 “been able to follow Sunday Mass, to hear Bible teachings and to be informed about the life of the Church”. Mgr Nguyen Van Tai, radio director, recalled this reality while speaking to AsiaNews on the occasion of the feast of St Peter, when more than 200 Vietnamese Catholics visited the station. He said: “Pastoral communication helps the Church of Vietnam and Asian countries. With the transmission of Sunday Mass, believers may participate in the rite.”
The leader of the association of Vietnamese Catholic religious who are studying in the Philippines “heartily thanked” Mgr Nguyen Van Tai, “who has worked since 1978 to reach priests, sisters and members of the faithful who are studying in the Philippines.” He added that “Radio Veritas is a welcoming place that supports Catholics in Vietnam and Asian countries.”
Rung, a youth from the diocese of Vinh Long, said: “My family and I live in a rural village. Every night, the programme of Radio Veritas is a support for our spiritual life. I can work at home and listen to the Good News.”
Sr Thi of the Nazareth Congregation, told AsiaNews: “Our community lives and works in Long Khanh in the diocese of Phu Cuong. We bought a big cassette to broadcast the Vietnamese programme so that our sisters may listen to it. The Word of God reaches us in poor and rural areas. The programme is our joy and is of encouragement for religious life.”
A youth from the diocese of Saigon said: “Other than listening to the programmes that Radio Veritas puts on air, I can see news of the Catholic world on the website of Radio Veritas, as well as Asian cultural research, philosophical writings, and stories concerning life issues, and I share Bible readings in Vietnamese and English. This is my life under socialism.”