Hanoi, Vietnam, Jan 7, 2010 / 00:09 am
The Archdiocese of Hanoi has condemned an early Wednesday morning attack on Catholics by city police involved in the destruction of a crucifix in a parish cemetery. Pictures of the bloody clash show several people injured.
The archdiocese reported that police attacked Dong Chiem parish at a time when both its pastor and assistant pastor were at the annual retreat at the archbishop’s office, J.B. An Dang tells CNA.
An estimated 500 heavily armed police officers and a large number of trained dogs were deployed to the area to protect an army engineering unit. The unit was tasked with destroying a large crucifix erected on a boulder inside the parish cemetery.
The incident began at 3 a.m. Wednesday, when an army engineering team used an explosive to destroy the crucifix.