Why is Nguyen Dinh Thuc so panicked after Hoang Duc Binh was arrested?

(Baonghean.vn) - Father, I've been following the news and I see the police have arrested Hoang Duc Binh. Why are you so panicked and worried?

"Those who shed crocodile tears for others' sake"

When Nguyen Dinh Thuc 'ate at the same table and traveled in the same car' with a reactionary

"Nguyen Dinh Thuc once again incited extremists to block National Highway 1A."

These past few days, our hearts have been filled with worry, fear, and unease due to all sorts of conflicting information about Hoang Duc Binh's arrest while he was sitting in a car with his father.

We parishioners are very surprised. Binh is not from our parish; nor is he a member of the pastoral council, yet he has been hanging around the parish for some time now. He is someone who caused trouble in Saigon and Ha Tinh, so why is he now traveling in the same car with the priest? Could Hoang Duc Binh be plotting something in our parish?

Nguyen Dinh Thuc frantically called people to come to National Highway 1A after Hoang Duc Binh was arrested.

Father, we have just enjoyed the blessing of a fervent Lenten season, recalling the Passion of Jesus. When Jesus had to carry the heavy cross, the villagers followed behind, weeping for Him, but He turned around and said:"O children of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and your children, for you will suffer misfortune in the future."The Lord himself taught us that we should not weep for Him, much less should you, Father, be so worried and zealous for Hoang Duc Binh?

Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc, why were you so panicked when Binh was arrested? Why did you have to call other priests to ask for help because "you've been arrested" and "the police are cowardly kidnapping people," and "help you get Binh released"? I also clearly heard you vehemently deny that Hoang Binh was a member of Viet Tan when another priest mentioned this detail. You even said that Hoang Binh was your legal assistant in the lawsuit against Formosa.

A girl named Emily was sitting in Nguyen Dinh Thuc's car, inciting the crowd when Hoang Duc Binh was arrested.

Hearing this, we truly couldn't understand. Hoang Duc Binh is just a freelance worker, not a legal expert, and his education is only a high school diploma like ours. Out of respect for our father, we call him "Uncle Binh," so why would our father need his "legal assistance"? Why was our father so panicked when Binh was arrested?

We attended Mass when you were ordained a priest. That day, when the Bishop asked you, "...Do you wish to faithfully fulfill the ministry of the Word of God, that is, to preach the Gospel and present the Catholic doctrine according to the tradition of the Church to praise God and sanctify the Christian people?...", you answered "yes" clearly. Now you deny it so quickly when another priest asks you about Hoang Duc Binh. Is that your integrity, your loyalty?

Another thing that worried and puzzled us was why there were so many girls with blue and red hair in Dad's car. They say, "the truth only comes out when the house is on fire," and that day, when we saw those girls get out of Dad's car, speaking with a slightly accented voice, with blonde hair and red lips, looking anything but friendly, we felt disgusted.

The girls in the car kept swearing and cursing like that; I'm afraid their character is questionable. Why would they ride in the same car with my father? Not to mention, that blonde girl named Emily, just hours before Binh was arrested, was having dinner with my father and giving him an envelope of money. What kind of money was that? Was it clean money or dirty money? Was it money from a reactionary organization or something? As a priest, serving God and preaching the good news, why would he associate with people like that?

Father, don't you remember that "a priest lives in the world but is not diluted by worldly passions, thus not losing his character as salt for the world" (cf. Mt 5:13)? Father, where did that money come from? Did she give it to you or to our parish? Chapter 3 of the Decree on Priestly Life stipulates: "...they must not regard the office of the Church as a source of profit, nor use the income to enrich their families." Therefore, priests must never allow their souls to be attached to material possessions, but must always avoid all greed and stay away from all forms of commerce.

Nguyen Dinh Thuc received the money from Emily.

Whatever you do, Father, you cannot forget that "A priest is a man of God, therefore he is in the world but not of the world, not following the way of the world. A priest has his own path, his own way of life according to the spirit of the Gospel." Saint Paul said: "Do not conform to the ways of this world." If you get involved in the worldly ways of such vulgar girls, what image of a shepherd will remain, Father?

On the evening of May 16th, we were once again shocked when the priest preached during Mass that "Hoang Duc Binh is a benefactor of the nation. The whole nation must be grateful to him." Father, that is absolutely not true. Binh is a criminal who has been arrested. He may be a benefactor to you or someone else, but never to us. He has never been, and will never be, a benefactor of the nation!

That same evening, we saw the dissident girl Emily being very close to our father, eating dinner at the same table with him...

The Decree on Priestly Life stated: “In social life, with both Catholics and non-Catholics, we must be upright in speech, in demeanor, in conduct, in eating habits, and above all, we must be mindful and careful, because through the life of the priest, people must recognize the image of Jesus Christ the Savior.”

As followers of God, we have absolute faith in all the venerable priests. The church is a sacred place, and priests are the embodiment of God, so why would you harbor reactionary elements like Hoang Binh and Emily, who sow hatred and divide national unity?

The standards traditionally set for priests have been: holiness, zeal, and becoming the salt and light of the earth. To achieve these standards, a priest needs to cultivate generosity, zeal, inner depth, a simple life, dedicated service, and a willingness to engage in dialogue without prejudice. We would like you to reread Pope Benedict's 2010 letter to all people, which includes the passage: "Where people no longer perceive God, life becomes empty; everything becomes lacking, and then people seek refuge in delusion or in violence." Surely, the Holy Father saw your actions seven years ago.

The Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, number 2, reminded us: “The priestly life is both a journey of service to others and a journey of sanctification of oneself, to be worthy to be a reflection of the Most Holy One in the world.” The Church greatly needs good priests to reflect God’s holiness in their lives. A holy priest has a profound influence in the Church and in society. We do not want you to become the kind of person that the Holy Father warned against in his Chrism Mass homily in 2013: “…who have lost the anointing and lack a pastoral heart.”

Soon, Hoang Duc Binh's violations will certainly be brought to public trial; if, on that day, Binh reveals the wrongdoings of Father, Emily, Bach Hong Quyen... we dare not imagine what the situation in our parish would be like then. For the sake of the flock, for God, and for the peace of our country, I think Father should stop before it's too late!