“While other religions were divided into an official (or state-approved) one and an underground one, there was only one Catholic Church in North Vietnam completely loyal to Christ and His Church even at the price of grave sufferings. As a result, alternative policies were applied, typically – the eradication of clergy and the Church property confiscation policies,” he explained.
The Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics was founded in 1975 to revive the government’s efforts after the Communists had seized the whole country.
“At first, communists seemed to achieve their objective when a significant number of Catholics joined the committee, especially after the imprisonment of thousands of Catholic priests,” J.B. An Dang said.
The then Auxiliary Bishop of Saigon, Francis Nguyen Van Thuan, was one of the imprisoned clergy. Later elevated to cardinal, he chaired the Vatican Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
The initial success of the Committee for Solidarity faded after the Mass at the conclusion of its first congress in December 1976.
“Concelebrating priests shocked attendees by intentionally leaving out completely the Prayer for the Pope, an act seen as a symbol of the tendency to break ties with the Vatican.”
A 1985 letter published by the Holy See admonished the clergy involved with the committee, after which most priests withdrew from the organization.
At present the committee is reportedly unpopular with most Catholics.
“Most bishops in Vietnam explicitly asked their priests not to join the committee,” Father Joseph Nguyen from Hanoi said. “For most Catholics in Vietnam, the involvement of priests in the committee confuses people –not to say it’s a big scandal.
“Many Catholics might join the committee with good intentions to bridge misunderstandings between Communists and Catholics. With recent open persecutions against the Church, they now realize that their presence in the committee does not help Communists to overcome their prejudices against Catholics.”