Hanoi, Vietnam, Jan 26, 2010 / 00:08 am
Following continued government persecution of Catholics in Vietnam, the Redemptorist Superior General has appealed for prayers for the Redemptorists and other Catholics in the country.
Recent incidents have centered at Dong Chiem parish in the Archdiocese of Hanoi. There, government officials blew up a crucifix at a cemetery on Jan. 6. Officials have blockaded the area around the parish and parishioners have been subject to beatings and mass arrests.
Last week, 36-year-old Redemptorist Brother Anthony Nguyen Van Tang was brutally beaten by police near the parish. He was left unconscious in a pool of blood.
Fr. Michael Brehl, the recently elected Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, told Fides that the Redemptorists hope the Vietnamese government investigates the incidents and will “act with justice.”