Vietnamese Government Seizes Church Property

"We did not have to ask for the parish's permission, because that land belongs to the state."

HANOI, Vietnam (Zenit.org) - The government has made a decision about the disputed land that used to be the apostolic nunciature in Vietnam -- the area was cleared for a public park.

Hundreds of Catholics gathered Friday at the former nunciature after police-protected demolition crews arrived to clear the structures on the land.

At the end of 2007, large numbers of the faithful began peaceful protests requesting the return of Church property that had been nationalized by the state in the '50s. The main dispute involved the 2.5-acre property that was cleared Friday.

The vigil ended with an agreement between the Hanoi government and the parish to negotiate a settlement.
According to VietCatholic News, a government official, Nguyen Thinh Thanh, chief of the secretariat of Hanoi's People's Committee, explained the demolition: "We are clearing the land to build a library and a park, to serve the whole community. We did not have to ask for the parish's permission, because that land belongs to the state."

Thanh said the government had informed the parish in advance of Friday morning's moves, but priests said they had no warning.

A Vatican delegation that visited Vietnam in June gave attention to the dispute, stating afterward that during the meeting, consideration was given to the need "to maintain dialogue between interested parties in the search for adequate solutions that take into account the needs of justice, of charity and of the common good."

Vietnam is about 7% Catholic. According to a 1999 census, more than 80% of the population declares no religion.

The Church does not have diplomatic relations with the communist nation, though in January 2007, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made a historic visit to Benedict XVI.

A Vatican-Vietnam working group was established in June to study a timetable and steps toward enhancing relations.