Bells of the St. Joseph Cathedral Hanoi rang continuously on Friday morning to ask for help when hundreds of police besieged archbishop’s residence of Hanoi, and the convent of Adorers of the Holy Cross congregation.
Most of priests and seminarians in St. Joseph Major Seminary, and nuns in the convent thought that police came to arrest their archbishop as state media had repeatedly warned these days. They tried to contact with the archbishop’s office, but all in vain. The telephone line was cut and even mobiles did not work. Looking down on the road, they could see several police vehicles with technology installed to block mobile signal so that no phone could make or receive calls.
Soon, they figured out that their archbishop was not detained and taken to jail. But he, and themselves, were virtually arrested in big jails. “No one get out, no one get in”, a policeman yelled.
The only thing they could do was ringing the bells, a traditional method of, perhaps, hundreds years ago to alert their faithful. Hearing the bells, Catholics in nearby areas rushed to the site where hundreds of police armed to the teeth, and a herd of public order enforcement dogs had been waiting for them. Some cried out in chaos when they saw a dog jumped over an elderly woman, knocked her down, and at the same time, a bulldozer knocked down the fence of their nunciature. The communist regime knocked down an innocent civilian, and at the same time a symbol of Vatican.
So, eight months after promising to restore Church ownership of a building that once housed the office of the apostolic nuncio in Hanoi, authorities betrayed their promise. Vietnamese people are so familiar with the dishonesty, and trickeries of the government. It has betrayed its promises so frequently that no one surprises when it does not keep its words. But this time they surprised to see even the Vatican was also among its victims.
Very early on Friday morning, Sep. 19, the symbol of Vatican was knocked down with the support of hundreds of police assembling in front of the archbishop's residence in Hanoi, blocking access to the residence, the cathedral, and all roads leading to the nunciature.
The Voice of Vietnam, and Hanoi television repeatedly read the announcement of the government to build a public playground park. Many wondered why a public park had to be built under the protection of a great mass of police and security forces, militiamen, and police dogs; and to build it Hanoi archbishop’s residence and the whole Nha Chung street had to be besieged.
Mingling in line with hundreds of Catholics who were praying and crying out for justice were journalists who tried to record into their cameras as many as possible pictures of the historic event. Ben Stocking, an American reporter, the Hanoi bureau chief for Associated Press, was among them. He soon was discovered by police and taken away. A video clip on YouTube showed that he was dragged out of the protestors, and when he was just 50m away from them, a herd of policemen punched, choked and hit over his head.
In a strong letter of protest delivered to Vietnamese authorities, Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi said that the sudden demolition of the building "smears the legitimate aspirations of the Hanoi Catholic community." He charged that the government's decision to renege on the earlier commitment to restore the building was an act "mocking society's conscience."
It is exactly right that “the herd of authorities” in Hanoi communist regime is mocking the world’s conscience, smearing the legitimate aspiration of the Hanoi Catholic community, and ridiculing their own law.
 |
| Thousands of Catholics protest |
 |
| Police dog |
 |
| Catholics protest all night |
Soon, they figured out that their archbishop was not detained and taken to jail. But he, and themselves, were virtually arrested in big jails. “No one get out, no one get in”, a policeman yelled.
The only thing they could do was ringing the bells, a traditional method of, perhaps, hundreds years ago to alert their faithful. Hearing the bells, Catholics in nearby areas rushed to the site where hundreds of police armed to the teeth, and a herd of public order enforcement dogs had been waiting for them. Some cried out in chaos when they saw a dog jumped over an elderly woman, knocked her down, and at the same time, a bulldozer knocked down the fence of their nunciature. The communist regime knocked down an innocent civilian, and at the same time a symbol of Vatican.
So, eight months after promising to restore Church ownership of a building that once housed the office of the apostolic nuncio in Hanoi, authorities betrayed their promise. Vietnamese people are so familiar with the dishonesty, and trickeries of the government. It has betrayed its promises so frequently that no one surprises when it does not keep its words. But this time they surprised to see even the Vatican was also among its victims.
Very early on Friday morning, Sep. 19, the symbol of Vatican was knocked down with the support of hundreds of police assembling in front of the archbishop's residence in Hanoi, blocking access to the residence, the cathedral, and all roads leading to the nunciature.
The Voice of Vietnam, and Hanoi television repeatedly read the announcement of the government to build a public playground park. Many wondered why a public park had to be built under the protection of a great mass of police and security forces, militiamen, and police dogs; and to build it Hanoi archbishop’s residence and the whole Nha Chung street had to be besieged.
Mingling in line with hundreds of Catholics who were praying and crying out for justice were journalists who tried to record into their cameras as many as possible pictures of the historic event. Ben Stocking, an American reporter, the Hanoi bureau chief for Associated Press, was among them. He soon was discovered by police and taken away. A video clip on YouTube showed that he was dragged out of the protestors, and when he was just 50m away from them, a herd of policemen punched, choked and hit over his head.
In a strong letter of protest delivered to Vietnamese authorities, Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi said that the sudden demolition of the building "smears the legitimate aspirations of the Hanoi Catholic community." He charged that the government's decision to renege on the earlier commitment to restore the building was an act "mocking society's conscience."
It is exactly right that “the herd of authorities” in Hanoi communist regime is mocking the world’s conscience, smearing the legitimate aspiration of the Hanoi Catholic community, and ridiculing their own law.