Nick Vujicic: I overcame my disability through Christian faith. Hanoi censures his witness
Hanoi (AsiaNews / EDA) - All over the world he is known for the strength with which he faces a severe form of disability, which deprived him from birth of his upper and lower limbs. A strength which is the fruit of the Christian faith, and that the 31 year old Australian-born Serbian Nick Vujicic never fails to speak of and to transmit at every public meeting all over the world. Except in Vietnam, where in a series of conferences held in recent days translators did not mention religion, or God, of how important the suffering and passion of Christ was in teaching him how to live and also deal with his own suffering.
The religious repression of Hanoi, and in particular with regards the Christian faith, has been exacerbated in recent months, with prison sentences for activists or ordinary faithful, seizure of property and land owned by the Church or Buddhist communities. However, Communist leaders and atheists fear the increasing spread of religion in the country and this pushes them to censor everyday testimony, and examples, such as that of the young Australian, who has attracted the attention of tens of thousands of Vietnamese from North to South .
The eldest of a Serbian Christian family, Nick was born in Melbourne December 4, 1982 with a rare genetic disease: he is limbless without arms or legs, except for two small feet, one of which with just two fingers. Over time it has been able to deal with the disability, suffering, becoming a witness with his meetings, and his appearances on television (he is an evangelical preacher) of a different way of dealing with problems.
His public meetings in Vietnam, in Saigon and Hanoi, saw the participation of over 20 thousand people at a time, especially young people, students, businessmen and other people (like him) with disabilities. Added to this are the millions of Vietnamese who watched on TV or internet sites. He spoke of his illness, redemption, the power that he derives from faith in Christ. However, a few days later it emerged that the translator regularly omitted any mention inherent to Christianity, God, replacing the terms with different words or deleting whole passages.
The confirmation of censorship also comes from Christian Francis Hung, a professional translator and interpreter, who at first had been instructed translate for the young Australian. Before the meetings the authorities told him - even though he was also a Christian - to omit references to God and religion. He refused, saying it was in conflict with professional ethics and with his faith, so organizers and local officials have seen fit to replace him with a more "disciplined" colleague in the logic of the party.
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