Church-state property disputes arise in another Vietnamese diocese
<http://www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/60020.htm>http://www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/60020.htm
VietCatholic News (Th Ba 14/10/2008 17:05)
Hue, Oct. 14, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Re-enacting a drama that has become
familiar in Hanoi, Catholics in Vietnam's Hue archdiocese are
protesting government plans to seize and bulldoze a piece of property
claimed by Church owners.
On October 11, local government officials in the Thua Thien province
ordered Catholics in the An Bang parish to remove the crucifix and
altar from their church. The government intends to demolish the
parish church, claiming that it is located on public property. The An
Bang parishioners are refusing the government order, and protests on
the disputed site have begun.
For most of the year, Catholics in Hanoi have staged similar public
demonstrations, protesting the government's seizure of property--
most notably at the site once occupied by the apostolic nuncio and at
a Redemptorist monastery. In both cases, government officials have
announced plans to clear the lots and construct public parks.
In the Hue archdiocese, Father Peter Nguyen Huu Giai, the pastor of
the imperiled An Bang parish, says that authorities have shown no
legal document to support their claim on the property. He reports
that the land belonged to a parishioner, who died a few years ago,
but "his children are still there, and they own the land legally."
The Catholics of the village-- most of them living in poverty-- built
a small church on the land with the permission of the owner, Father
Nguyen recalls. Local officials never objected to that agreement
until after the original owner's death, he says.
Facing the defiance of the An Bang parishioners, the local government
has launched a campaign of harassment and intimidation. "Every
morning, from 5:30 am, the loudspeakers start talking on state
religious policy, and on how this government respects the Catholic
Church. The chorus has been repeated every day. Numerous parishioners
have been summoned. Just yesterday, a lot of people were questioned
individually as if they had committed a serious crime," the pastor reported.
The pastor himself has been in trouble with police. "Yesterday, I had
been interrogated at the police station of Phu Vang district straight
from 8:30 until 10:30 in the morning. They charged me with many
offenses but I rejected each of them," he reports.
"They are going to remove our Cross and altar themselves," Fr. Peter
reported. "It's up to them, but we won't do that despite of their
pressure," he persisted.
The incident, coupled with the previous clashes in Hanoi, has raised
a concern that in more Church properties, especially at the remote
areas, will soon to be seized by local authorities.
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