Wishing for a peaceful life, filled with love

(Baonghean.vn) -Exactly one week after the incident where the priest, dignitaries and many parishioners of Quan Lang Parish violently caused trouble, assaulted and illegally detained people, we returned to Yen Khe commune (Con Cuong) and witnessed the peaceful life in the Southwest region. After what happened, Catholics and non-Catholics here all hope that similar scenes will no longer occur and that life will return to the way it has always been: peaceful and filled with love.

The land of Yen Khe is quite peaceful and quiet on the weekend. The life of the normally hospitable and honest mountain farmers has returned to its normal rhythm. Yesterday afternoon (Sunday, July 8), the illegal proselytizing at Mr. Pham The Tran's house in Trung Huong village no longer took place. The people of Yen Khe in particular and Con Cuong district in general breathed a sigh of relief because they had a peaceful Sunday afternoon after a long time of having to endure noise and unrest, and also hoped that this peaceful scene would last forever.

Somewhere in the conversation over a cup of green tea, there is still a trace of the unfortunate events that happened last weekend. They were angry and resentful, but ultimately, it was a wish for the peaceful life of the village to return, for people to live in harmony, sharing the joys and sorrows, sharing the hardships as is the nature of the mountain people and has been proven in reality since the day the village was established. Mr. Luong Van Phuc in To village (Yen Khe commune), who is 88 years old this year, said that the village used to be very poor, not having enough to eat, but the people were very united, working together to contribute their efforts and efforts with the Party and the State to defeat the French colonialists and the American imperialists. However, living to the age of nearly 90, he has never witnessed such a heartbreaking incident as the one just happened. Mr. Phuc shared: “For hundreds of years, the people living in the area have been very united and close-knit. There has never been an illegal proselytizing like now. That action is against the law of the State, but more seriously, it has attracted people from other places to cause insecurity and divide the solidarity of the people living in the area for a long time. It is necessary to severely punish those who violate the law to restore a peaceful life to the villages in Yen Khe.” Mr. Phuc also added that since the illegal proselytizing, his granddaughter-in-law in Pha village was a Catholic but was instructed and advised by her family not to participate in illegal acts in the locality.

Playing the panpipe, an ancient cultural feature of the Thai people in Con Cuong

Also in To village, Mr. Luong Dinh Lo (63 years old) confided to us from the bottom of his heart as a local who witnessed the recent incident: “Religious and non-religious people in our country are all Vietnamese citizens, so we must act in accordance with the provisions of the State law, should not violate the law and, more than that, cause division between Catholics and non-religious people. I hope that the priests and dignitaries of Quan Lang Parish will not entice the parishioners to violate the law. The lives of the people of Yen Khe will quickly return to the warmth of the past.”

Talking with Mr. Quach Cong Loan - a Muong ethnic in Trung Huong village, he talked a lot about business. Recently, the people here had a successful winter-spring crop. Tea is gradually becoming a crop that can help change the lives of the people, who still have many difficulties. Mr. Loan said: "It has been a long time since the Sunday afternoon (July 8) when the people of Trung Huong village can live peacefully. There is no longer the sound of loudspeakers reading prayers, which is a completely strange activity for the ethnic people here. Since Mr. Pham The Tran illegally built a chapel in Trung Huong village, the people can now have a moment of peace on Sunday afternoon." Mrs. Lo Thi Nam, who lives about 30 meters from Mr. Tran's house, said: "They (the missionaries - PV) also came to my house to encourage people to follow the religion and do charity work. They gave us rice and blankets, but we still accepted because we thought it was sincere. But we absolutely did not follow the religion because it did not fit with the customs and practices of the Thai people. We Thai people are only used to worshiping our grandparents and ancestors." Mr. Vi Van Hoc (69 years old) said: "The vast majority of Thai people in Trung Huong village did not agree to build a chapel on the village's land. At first, everyone thought that Mr. Pham The Tran was building a house for his son to live separately. When the missionary activities took place publicly, they found out that it was their chapel. Up until now, people in the village were used to worshiping their grandparents and ancestors, and were not used to the new religion. We only worship our ancestors on New Year's Day, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month (Doan Ngo Festival - 5th day of the 5th lunar month - PV), and the 2nd day of the 9th lunar month. We feel that outsiders coming here to pray is not in line with the traditional customs of the Thai people."

Going back to Con Cuong Town, we also recorded similar opinions. Ms. Tran Thi Ly in Block 6, Con Cuong Town said: “Preaching religion without the permission of the State is a violation of the law. In addition, Catholics from other localities have come to act in an extreme manner, causing disturbances and assaulting and illegally arresting people, which is very wrong. At the same time, it causes bad public opinion for local people. Therefore, it is necessary to severely punish those who violate the law.” The Vietnamese State respects freedom of belief and religion. However, in the recent incident, the priests and dignitaries themselves have pushed many of their followers and followers who have lived honestly, complied with the State's laws, and lived a good life and a good religion into the path of violating the law and having to endure bad public opinion, at the same time losing the good image that Catholicism has.

We also directly met and contacted a number of Catholics living in Con Cuong district. A Catholic, originally from Nam Dinh, living in Bong Khe commune, still goes to Tuong Son commune, Anh Son district to attend mass every week. Discussing the recent incident, he said: "As a citizen, whether religious or not, we all wish for a peaceful and good life." Another Catholic, also originally from Nam Dinh, who is doing business at Con Cuong market, still attends church in Tuong Son, and also attended mass in Yen Khe. However, since the local government confirmed that holding mass here is illegal, she no longer attends mass in Yen Khe. She is also worried because following the enticements of some extremist believers has recently affected her life.

Also yesterday afternoon (July 8), we visited Quan Lang Parish (Tuong Son Commune, Anh Son), the "origin" of the disturbance in Yen Khe Commune. Life here is still peaceful and prosperous, the people, regardless of religion or non-religion, are actively tending to the summer-autumn rice crop and preparing to harvest the spring corn crop. Looking at the vast and green rice fields and the corn fields with heavy grains, everyone is happy because this land is always prosperous and happy. However, when mentioning the incident on July 1, 2012, the people of Tuong Son cannot help but feel upset. Because many parishioners here followed the instigation of the priests and dignitaries of Quan Lang Parish and went to Yen Khe to participate in illegal ceremonies and cause disturbances, assault, and illegally detain people. Mr. Le Quoc Thanh, a resident of Hamlet 9, Tuong Son Commune, shared: "I hope that Catholics and non-Catholics will always unite to build our homeland more and more prosperous, worthy of the tradition of a heroic commune." Contacting some Catholics, we learned that most of the parishioners of Quan Lang Parish wish for a peaceful life to do business, no one wants to hear the bells urging and witness the tense atmosphere every weekend. In fact, the participation in praying and causing trouble in Yen Khe is due to the instigation, even pressure, of priests and religious dignitaries.

The people of Yen Khe commune, Tuong Son commune in particular and all the people of Nghe An as well as the Vietnamese people in general always wish to have a peaceful life, full of love and affection for the village and neighborhood. Because more than anyone else, the Vietnamese people have experienced many losses and pains caused by war and see the priceless value of a peaceful life. In particular, solidarity between religions is the factor that contributes to creating a peaceful life in all regions of our beloved Fatherland.

NPV