The crucifix in the cemetery of Hanoi's Dong Chiem Parish was blown up with explosives. It was not “dismantled” as Vietnamese State News Agency distorted. A bishop reaffirmed.

“The crucifix was smashed by sledge-hammers and blown up by explosives. Armed soldiers and police men who participated in the attack, along with parishioners who rushed to the site and witnessed the incident knew it clearly,” said Bishop Francis Nguyen Van Sang of Thai Binh on Jan. 16 in a prompt response to the false accusation against AsiaNews and other Catholic News Agencies by State mouthpiece VNA.

Bishop Francis Nguyen Van Sang
On Jan. 15, speaking on behalf of its government, the State News Agency of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has accused Catholic News Agencies, AsiaNews - a media outlet based in Italy, in particular, of distortion, false accusation, and agitation against Vietnam authorities.

“No, it was not dismantled as distorted by The Vietnamese News Agency in a report that was contradicting to the statement of the archdiocese of Hanoi,” added the prelate, trying to set the record straight.

"The debris from the explosion was everywhere, as shown in the photos on the electronic website www.vietcatholic.org. A Catholic writer, deeply touched by the sacrilegious act, condemned the action as blowing up 'the body of Christ'. Whether crucifix had been 'dismantled' or 'smashed up', let the fact speak for itself. No one can deny it,” he continued.

If the Dong Chiem crucifix had been dismantled, not blown up, as claimed by the State News Agency (VNA), the mouthpiece would have to do more to back up their claim before their feet can end up in their mouth since the Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi) Newspaper and The Voice of Vietnam Radio on Jan 7 had reported otherwise in plain view: "the faithful destroyed the crucifix after they had been educated by the government, and acknowledged that their illegal construction of the crucifix on Mount Che was wrongful."

Evidently, other state-run outlets had admitted that the crucifix has been maliciously brought down by force, not "dismantled" as claimed by the VNA.

“According to Vietnamese dictionary, ‘tháo gỡ’ (to dismantle) is to take to pieces in a tender and careful manner that enables re-assembling. Dare the government try to re-assemble the crucifix in its current condition ?” Catholic writer Alphonsus Hoang Gia Bao challenged the VNA demanding the news agency to be honest with its readers.

For the accusation made by VNA that the crucifix had been illegally constructed on top of Mount Che from 3-4 March 2009, Father Nguyen Van Huu, the parish priest, responded that the crucifix had been there for years. “Last year, we only consolidated it, something that has always been there."

Bishop Francis Nguyen added that the consolidation was “surely approved by local authorities at various levels” at least verbally, “because during the course of the construction people of faith or no faith had been hauling all kinds of constructing materials to the site of the crucifix before the very eyes of the authority in broad daylight, not during the night. Therefore, it is understood that the erection of this crucifix had been approved by both residents and government, at least no one ever prevented it from being done."

It was reportedly that local authorities including Lieu, the head of the Communist Party of Dong Chiem, came to share the joy with parishioners at a celebration party after the crucifix had successfully been constructed. In a written statement, Lieu confirmed the Jan. 6 attack on the parishioners, expressing his disagreement with the destruction of the cross that caused some parishioners bloodily injured.

When asked for his suggestion to resolve the conflict, the prelate offered the following advice:

"In the 2010 Jubilee's spirit of communion and dialogue and as suggested by bishops of northern dioceses, a solution that cause the least damage should be sought. It can not involve the use of military and police forces or weapons as intended. To me, it was the lack of knowledge and the close mindedness of the local government, who could not measure the magnitude of their action beforehand, and how its effect would play out at home and abroad. Facing the fury of the international public opinion, in its statement the State News Agency opted to characterize the act as "dismantling" instead of "smashing" of the crucifix on the top of Mount Worship.”

"The demolition of the most sacred image of Christianity is the mere fact that broke the hearts of billions of Catholics and good-will people ", the prelate observed.

“Practically, I think we should hold a meeting for both sides to exchange ideas in a peaceful manner which promises to cause the least damage to both sides if there is any,” the prelate suggested.

Urging the Vietnam government to admit their severe mistakes when using a great mass of hundreds of police officers, security forces, and militiamen equipped with weapons, batons, tear gas, dynamites, and police dogs to destroy the crucifix and oppress parishioners of Dong Chiem, the prelate demanded the government “to allow the re-construction of the crucifix on Mount Worship to be carried out without interference.”

As the State News agency keeps on denying the facts from the Dong Chiem incident, breaking news from Dong Chiem reported that on the night of Jan. 16 pro-government thugs were sent out to the parish cemetery to smash up most of the crosses on each individual tombstone at the parish cemetery, including the newly installed bamboo cross that replaced the old crucifix.

The vandals' ill fated attempt was quickly discovered by the vigilant locals who are now forming a watch dog group to safeguard the premise and keep searching for the culprits who are reportedly still hiding out somewhere in the dark caves on Mount Worship.