Hanoi, Vietnam, Jan 28, 2008 / 23:46 pm
Vietnamese Catholics have continued their prayer vigil in front of the former Vatican embassy in the face of government orders to cease their demonstrations petitioning to have the property returned to the Church, VietCatholic News reports.
Hundreds of Catholics continue to go to the site to pray, chant, and sing, some staying overnight to protect their cross and statues. A physical altercation between demonstrators and police on Friday has heightened tensions in the dispute.
Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, a deputy chairwoman of the People's Committee in Hanoi, accused Catholics of attacking security personnel, disturbing public order, erecting a cross illegally in the garden of the site, and spreading distortions about the government on the internet. Charging sit-in demonstrators of occupying state-owned buildings, she threatened extreme action unless they dispersed by 5 pm Sunday.
She also ordered the Archbishop of Hanoi’s office to remove the cross and all statues of the Virgin Mary from the site, demanding the archbishop “submit a report” to her before 6 pm Sunday.
Ms. Ngo recently accused the archbishop of "using freedom of religion to provoke protests against the government,” damaging relations between Vietnam and the Vatican.