|
|
||||||||
|
Catholic prayer vigil turns into clash with Vietnamese police
Related articles:
.- Thousands of Catholics gathered in the streets of Hanoi to show their opposition to the government’s refusal to hand over buildings that originally belonged to the Catholic Church of Vietnam. In protests today, some 2,000 Catholics marched from St. Joseph’s Cathedral to the building that was once the Vatican embassy. The building, which is now a youth sports center, is one of many church properties taken over by the Communist government in 1954. Church officials say they have documents showing the 2.5-acre property belongs to the diocese. The morning “protest” was followed by a Mass for the birthday of Cardinal Paul Joseph Pham Dinh Tung, the former archbishop of Hanoi. Following the celebration, a second peaceful demonstration began which became violent. Fr. An Dang told CNA that some H’mong Catholic women climbed over the gate to bring flowers to a statue of the Virgin Mary. When they were discovered by security personnel, the women were kicked and attacked with batons. When nearby protestors saw this brutality, they broke through the gate and confronted the security officers. As the conflict ensued, a few protestors were able to put up a large white cross in front of the former embassy. Fr. Dang also reports that the protest today is the strongest challenge to the communist government not only due to its magnitude but also because it occurred just a few days after local authorities accused the archbishop of "using freedom of religion to provoke protests against the government." The government also claimed that the protests “damaged relations between Vietnam and the Vatican," and threatened that a crackdown was likely. A local source reported that police forces are hunting down those who were actively involved in today's protest. Subscriber comments:
Published by: lee bui
hurst,tx usa 01/28/2008 04:56 PM EST
It is time for every body in Vietnam to respect Justice and Peace and the Vieetnamese Government must go first.Government must give back the propr\erty that it took away from the its people, because the right of having their own possession has been acknowledged by the laws.That is the best way to have Peace and Happiness for every body.
ADD A COMMENT (Your e-mail will NOT be published):
* Thanks for your comments. The number of messages that can be online is limited. Length should not exceed 1500 characters. CNA reserves the right to edit messages for content and tone. Comments and opinions expressed by users do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of CNA. CNA will not publish comments with abusive language, insults or links to other pages. ADVERTISING |
Latest news:
05:18 am | Vatican prefect encourages Chinese clergy in commitment to unity 05:16 am | Citing new memo, Senators urge HHS to restrict abortion funding in high-risk pools 03:27 am | Anglican cleric apologizes for giving communion to dog 12:54 am | Boston archdiocese asks for lay participation in Catholics Come Home campaign 10:06 pm | Judge rules against Christian banned from Eastern Michigan counseling program Related news :
Get CNA News on your email:
Resources
|
ADVERTISING
Place your ad here |
||||||
|
||||||||
