HA NOI (UCAN) -- About 2,000 Catholics forced their way onto the grounds of the former apostolic nunciature in Ha Noi, which the communist government confiscated in 1959.
Singing hymns, playing musical instruments and accompanied by 100 priests, they marched and prayed outside the iron fence of the compound on Jan. 25, despite the drizzle and 8-degree-Celsius temperature.
At the entrance they stuck flowers, incense sticks and candles. The marchers had come from the nearby St. Joseph Cathedral after a special morning Mass to honor Cardinal Paul Joseph Pham Dinh Tung on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
Trouble started when Marie Nguyen Thi Nhi, a Muong ethnic woman in traditional attire, climbed over the fence and walked with a bouquet of flowers towards a Pieta statue in front of the nunciature building. Thousands of Catholics had gathered there on Dec. 20 to erect the statue while praying for the government to return the property to the local Church. By the next day, the gate had been locked and Catholics could no longer enter.
Six security personnel and plainclothes police officers intercepted Nhi before she could reach the statue. They struck her and dragged her to the former nunciature building, her flowers strewn on the ground.
At this, some in the crowd sang louder, others shouted at the security officials to release her and some even scaled the gate to protect her. Le Quoc Quan, a lawyer who jumped over the fence to help the woman, also was caught. He was taken to the building and beaten by 10 security officials.
This prompted much shouting from the crowd, while others who had scaled the fence broke down a small gate leading to the building. They argued for an hour with security and police officials before the woman and lawyer were released and taken to the nearby Ha Noi archbishop's house for medical care.
The crowd then broke the main entrance gate and pulled down advertisement boards on the fence and the former nunciature building. The 11,478-square-meter compound was soon filled with people. They erected a 4-meter-high iron cross in front of the main door of the building and put flowers around it. People also erected tents on the grounds and since then have maintained a round-the-clock prayer vigil.
After being rescued, Nhi, a Muong Riec parishioner from Hoa Binh province, told people: "I wanted to pray and offer flowers at the Pieta because it did not have any flowers or incense, but security officials smacked my face and hit me in the abdomen. I was treated cruelly and savagely."
She added, however, "I am happy that I shared Mother Mary's sorrow and that many people can now offer flowers and candles."
Recounting his ordeal, Quan, a local resident, said he only wanted to rescue Nhi but was struck on the nose and an ear, leaving him bleeding. "It was terrible," he said, adding that his camera and mobile phone were also seized.
"I was lucky that people rescued me. If not I would be put in prison," said the lawyer, who previously spent time in prison for pro-democracy activities.
Teresa Tran Thi Phuong, one of the protesters, told UCA News she could not tolerate security officials striking innocent people in front of thousands. "I have lost my belief in laws and a government that treat Catholics with disdain," the 50-year-old Ha Noi resident added.
Some priests told UCA News they had to work hard to prevent angry people from destroying things and attacking security officials, even though the priests were "also very angry."
They said local Catholics made a brave attempt to protect other Catholics and Church property, besides praying for peace and justice. These actions would force the government to return the nunciature, they added.
The priests noted that despite 1,000 or so security officials being on duty in the area, people were not afraid or discouraged.
On Jan. 26, the People's Committee of Ha Noi, the local government, reportedly sent a letter to archdiocesan leaders asking them to remove the cross and Pieta statue, for which it set a deadline of 5 p.m. on Jan. 27. However, as of Jan. 29, Catholics were still inside the former nunciature grounds, praying continuously in front of the cross and Pieta statue.
Local state-run media reported that people had attacked security officials and destroyed government property, but Ha Noi archdiocese sent government authorities a message condemning the media accounts as wrong and asking officials to correct the reports. Antoine Nguyen Dinh Loc, a lay leader, told UCA News on Jan. 30 that such wrong reports would only make the government lose face, since thousands of people including foreign journalists witnessed the incident.
On Jan. 28, Bishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Sang of Thai Binh, whose diocese is based 100 kilometers from the capital, visited the former nunciature compound and joined in a prayer with Catholics.
Singing hymns, playing musical instruments and accompanied by 100 priests, they marched and prayed outside the iron fence of the compound on Jan. 25, despite the drizzle and 8-degree-Celsius temperature.
At the entrance they stuck flowers, incense sticks and candles. The marchers had come from the nearby St. Joseph Cathedral after a special morning Mass to honor Cardinal Paul Joseph Pham Dinh Tung on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
Trouble started when Marie Nguyen Thi Nhi, a Muong ethnic woman in traditional attire, climbed over the fence and walked with a bouquet of flowers towards a Pieta statue in front of the nunciature building. Thousands of Catholics had gathered there on Dec. 20 to erect the statue while praying for the government to return the property to the local Church. By the next day, the gate had been locked and Catholics could no longer enter.
Six security personnel and plainclothes police officers intercepted Nhi before she could reach the statue. They struck her and dragged her to the former nunciature building, her flowers strewn on the ground.
At this, some in the crowd sang louder, others shouted at the security officials to release her and some even scaled the gate to protect her. Le Quoc Quan, a lawyer who jumped over the fence to help the woman, also was caught. He was taken to the building and beaten by 10 security officials.
This prompted much shouting from the crowd, while others who had scaled the fence broke down a small gate leading to the building. They argued for an hour with security and police officials before the woman and lawyer were released and taken to the nearby Ha Noi archbishop's house for medical care.
The crowd then broke the main entrance gate and pulled down advertisement boards on the fence and the former nunciature building. The 11,478-square-meter compound was soon filled with people. They erected a 4-meter-high iron cross in front of the main door of the building and put flowers around it. People also erected tents on the grounds and since then have maintained a round-the-clock prayer vigil.
After being rescued, Nhi, a Muong Riec parishioner from Hoa Binh province, told people: "I wanted to pray and offer flowers at the Pieta because it did not have any flowers or incense, but security officials smacked my face and hit me in the abdomen. I was treated cruelly and savagely."
She added, however, "I am happy that I shared Mother Mary's sorrow and that many people can now offer flowers and candles."
Recounting his ordeal, Quan, a local resident, said he only wanted to rescue Nhi but was struck on the nose and an ear, leaving him bleeding. "It was terrible," he said, adding that his camera and mobile phone were also seized.
"I was lucky that people rescued me. If not I would be put in prison," said the lawyer, who previously spent time in prison for pro-democracy activities.
Teresa Tran Thi Phuong, one of the protesters, told UCA News she could not tolerate security officials striking innocent people in front of thousands. "I have lost my belief in laws and a government that treat Catholics with disdain," the 50-year-old Ha Noi resident added.
Some priests told UCA News they had to work hard to prevent angry people from destroying things and attacking security officials, even though the priests were "also very angry."
They said local Catholics made a brave attempt to protect other Catholics and Church property, besides praying for peace and justice. These actions would force the government to return the nunciature, they added.
The priests noted that despite 1,000 or so security officials being on duty in the area, people were not afraid or discouraged.
On Jan. 26, the People's Committee of Ha Noi, the local government, reportedly sent a letter to archdiocesan leaders asking them to remove the cross and Pieta statue, for which it set a deadline of 5 p.m. on Jan. 27. However, as of Jan. 29, Catholics were still inside the former nunciature grounds, praying continuously in front of the cross and Pieta statue.
Local state-run media reported that people had attacked security officials and destroyed government property, but Ha Noi archdiocese sent government authorities a message condemning the media accounts as wrong and asking officials to correct the reports. Antoine Nguyen Dinh Loc, a lay leader, told UCA News on Jan. 30 that such wrong reports would only make the government lose face, since thousands of people including foreign journalists witnessed the incident.
On Jan. 28, Bishop Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Sang of Thai Binh, whose diocese is based 100 kilometers from the capital, visited the former nunciature compound and joined in a prayer with Catholics.