Lesson 2: From the 1980 General Letter to the 2010 Message of the Catholic Church in Vietnam
Since mid-1980, our country has been deeply involved in the renovation process with great achievements in economic, cultural and social aspects; similarly, religious life has also had many clear changes. Specifically: Regarding religious activities, believers all perform normal religious activities at home and at places of worship according to traditional rituals of their religion. Some religious activities that were not performed before have been restored since the renovation, especially many activities that take place on a large scale and for a long time; Regarding the recognition of religious organizations, previously there were only 3 organizations recognized by the State (Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Vietnam Episcopal Council, Vietnam Evangelical Church), but by 2011 there were 37 religious organizations recognized as legal entities operating within the framework of the law; Regarding the opening of schools to train dignitaries, previously there were only a few classes, now there are 11 schools to train dignitaries at university level (4 Buddhist academies, 7 Catholic major seminaries), in addition to nearly 40 colleges and intermediate schools with nearly 10,000 students.
Construction and repair of places of worship, before the renovation, this activity did not exist, but now more than 20,000 facilities (80%) have been repaired and renovated, 2,000 facilities have been newly built. In the two years 2010-2011 alone, the whole country had 500 newly built religious facilities, 600 facilities have been renovated on a large scale. Based on the need for worship, local authorities have granted land use rights to religious organizations to build religious facilities, such as: Hanoi City granted 10 hectares to build a Buddhist Academy, Da Nang City granted 10,000 square meters to expand the Da Nang Bishop's Palace, Hai Phong City granted 10,000 square meters to build a retirement home for priests and monks of Hai Phong Diocese, Ninh Binh Province granted 15,000 square meters to build the Pastoral Center of Phat Diem Diocese... Regarding printing and publishing, before the renovation, there was almost no publishing of religious scriptures. Since the renovation, especially from 1999 until the establishment of the Religious Publishing House, there have been about 4,000 books with tens of millions of copies published (nearly 1 million copies of the Bible alone have been published).
Currently, in our country, there are 15 newspapers and magazines of religious organizations operating; International activities of religious organizations and individuals have been strengthened. Our country actively participates in conferences and religious forums in the region and internationally. From 1990 to now, Vietnam has had unofficial relations with the Vatican through 18 meetings and working sessions in Rome or Hanoi, two times Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (2007) and President Nguyen Minh Triet (2009) met with Pope Benedict XVI and recently since 2011, the Vietnamese Government agreed to allow representatives of the Vatican to enter Vietnam... Along with the changes in religious activities as mentioned above, in recent times, our State has well resolved religious issues arising in ethnic minority areas.
It can be said that the innovation of religion is one of the biggest and most successful innovations in the innovation process in our country. In 1990, our Party had a policy of innovation on religion through Resolution No. 24 NQ/T.U dated October 16, 1990 of the Politburo with the title "On strengthening religious work in the new situation", with the main contents: First, identifying religion as a spiritual need of a part of the people; Second, identifying religion as an entity that exists long-term with the nation in the process of building socialism in Vietnam; Third, recognizing and promoting the positive cultural and ethical values of religions; Fourth, uniting religions in the great national unity bloc; Fifth, consistently implementing the policy of respecting and ensuring citizens' freedom of belief, following or not following any religion, the right to normal religious activities in accordance with the law; Sixth, fight against illegal acts, taking advantage of religion for bad political purposes, backward culture...
Along with affirming the right to freedom of belief and religion in the Constitution (amended in 1992), the Government issued Decree No. 69/ND-CP dated March 21, 1991 "On religious activities", followed by Decree No. 26/ND-CP "On religious activities", dated April 19, 1999, to specify the legal framework and guide religious activities. In particular, after our Party issued Resolution No. 25, the Standing Committee of the 11th National Assembly issued the Ordinance on Belief and Religion on June 18, 2004 and the Government issued Decree No. 22/ND-CP dated March 1, 2005 guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Ordinance, with the following contents: Religious followers have the right to freedom of belief and religion and freedom of religious practice.
Discrimination on the basis of religion is strictly prohibited. Religious followers are guaranteed conditions such as having dignitaries, places of worship, and scriptures to serve religious activities; Dignitaries and monks and nuns operate normally within their scope of responsibility, and are responsible before the law for religious activities within their scope of responsibility; Religious organizations that meet the conditions prescribed by law are recognized as legal entities in terms of organization and operation within the framework of Vietnamese law, and are responsible before the government and the law for religious activities...
Religious life in our country since the renovation has undergone fundamental changes, in an increasingly progressive and positive direction. These changes have clarified religious policies and guidelines and made the masses of believers and dignitaries more confident in the Party and the State and the country's renovation. Not only that, believers and dignitaries of religions have supported and actively participated in the renovation process, contributing to the stability of the political situation and the development of the country. Religious organizations have built progressive directions of operation, closely connected with the nation, and religious activities comply with the law, supporting and participating in the renovation process of the country, a typical example being the Catholic Church of Vietnam.
In April 1980, the First Congress of the Catholic Church of Vietnam established the Vietnamese Bishops' Council and issued a Joint Letter "Living the Gospel in the Heart of the Nation". The content of the 1980 Joint Letter affirmed "As a Church in the heart of the Vietnamese people, we are determined to be attached to the destiny of our homeland, following the national tradition and integrating into the current life of the country". The Joint Letter pointed out the method for Vietnamese Catholics to implement: "Our patriotism must be practical, that is, we must be aware of the current problems of our homeland, must understand the State's policies and laws and actively contribute with the people of the whole country to protect and build a rich, free and happy Vietnam"...
From the foundation of the 1980 Joint Letter, the documents of the later congresses of the Vietnamese Bishops' Council have implemented that direction through specific activities, so that Catholics can continue to accompany the nation, such as: The 3rd Congress of the Vietnamese Bishops' Council issued a Communique: "In the task of building and defending the Fatherland, let us strive to contribute more with the efforts of everyone, specifically in the current situation of the country. We try to work actively and save as much as possible in all fields, to make the Vietnamese Fatherland more and more prosperous. We are both Catholics and citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, those two qualities cannot contradict each other if we live a true religion and have true patriotism"; The 5th Congress of the Vietnamese Bishops' Council issued a Pastoral Letter emphasizing: "Searching for national cultural identity does not mean simply retrieving ancient things, but how to express national character in prayers and songs, in liturgical celebrations, in daily life as well as in theological reflection and language"; The General Letter of the 10th Congress affirmed: "Our nation is always proud of the spirit of studiousness and respect for teachers. If in the past that tradition contributed to enriching Vietnamese culture and producing famous people who brought glory to the country, then now it must become one of the criteria of Christian education in Vietnam"...
Originating from that direction, Vietnamese Catholics have affirmed that they are citizens of the country with equal obligations and rights, participating in activities in all fields as proposed by the 8th Congress of the Vietnamese Bishops' Council: "To love and serve, first of all we must continue to accompany the nation; sympathize, share hope and promote humanity; We do not look at economic, political, social, and educational problems as outsiders, but accept them as our problems and proactively contribute to solving them, so that everyone can live and live abundantly."
The direction of dialogue and accompaniment with the nation of the Catholic Church in Vietnam continues to be nourished by the Homily of Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the Vietnamese Bishops' Ad Limina trip in 2009. Pope Benedict reiterated the spirit of the 1980 General Letter in the Homily: "The 1980 General Letter of the Vietnamese Bishops' Council emphasized that Living the Gospel in the heart of the nation, by bringing its own differences to proclaim the Good News of Christ - the Church has contributed to the spiritual and personal development of individuals, and at the same time contributed to the development of the country. Participating in this process is a duty and an important contribution, especially while Vietnam is gradually opening up to the international community".
The Pope advised the Catholic Church in Vietnam: “The Church does not seek to replace the role of the government, but only wishes, in a spirit of dialogue and respectful cooperation, to have a proper place in the life of the country, for the benefit of all people.” Also in 2009, Pope Benedict sent the Catholic Church in Vietnam a message on the occasion of the opening of the Holy Year. The message affirmed: “The Holy Year is a time filled with grace, favorable for reconciliation with God and fellow human beings.
In that sense, we should acknowledge the mistakes we have made in the past and present, towards our fellow believers and fellow countrymen and ask for everyone's forgiveness. At the same time, we should be determined to deepen and enrich communion within the Church and build a just, united and equal society, through official dialogue, mutual respect and healthy cooperation with each other" - The message continues to encourage the spirit of harmony and reconciliation, affirming that the Church is a part of the Vietnamese people...
On the basis of the 1980 General Letter, the Instruction and Message of Pope Benedict XVI, the Congress of the People of God (an activity of the Catholic Church in Vietnam during the celebration of the Holy Year) issued a Message calling on Catholics to engage in activities for the happiness of their compatriots in the new situation: "Continuing the work of their ancestors, the Church today must also engage in building the country in all aspects: cultural, social, economic and political"; "Loving the Fatherland and compatriots for Catholics is not only a natural sentiment, but also a requirement of the Gospel"; "By living a life built on charity, integrity, and respect for the common good, you must demonstrate that good Catholics are also good citizens".
Obviously, along with the country's positive and progressive innovations, the Catholic Church in Vietnam has truly innovated in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, accompanying the nation with basic steps from affirming the position of the church and the responsibility of the laity towards the country; together with the components of society, sympathizing and sharing with the poor and the unfortunate to integrating the nation's cultural and ethical values, making worthy contributions to building and firmly protecting the Fatherland for the goal of "rich people, strong country, fair, democratic and civilized society"...
Thanh Chung - Khanh Ly
