Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct 3, 2008 / 01:15 am
A Wednesday meeting between Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung and Vietnam’s Catholic bishops intended to discuss tensions between church and state surrounding disputed properties has reportedly ended without bearing fruit. Following the meeting, the prime minister made remarks on state television asking the Archbishop of Hanoi to correct his behavior and “overcome his shortcomings.”
VietCatholic News Agency described the prime minister’s remarks as a “slap in the face” of the archbishops and the Church as a whole.
The Wednesday meeting, intended to discuss disputes over properties confiscated from the Catholic Church by the government, instead featured a lecture aimed at the Archbishop of Hanoi and what was characterized as a “subtle message” to the bishops’ conference of Vietnam.
The bishops had been invited to meet with the prime minister several days after they issued a late September statement on the conflict.