Nguyen Dinh Thuc – 'a horse that has returned to its old path'

(Baonghean.vn) - The incident that occurred on February 14, 2017, at Song Ngoc parish, Quynh Luu district, once again confirms Mr. Thuc's systematic misconduct, and it can be said that "old habits die hard," making forgiveness difficult.

"Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners."

Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc celebrates Mass in the courtyard of Mr. Pham The Tran's private residence (Trung Huong village, Yen Khe commune, Con Cuong district, July 1, 2012). Photo taken from Giaophanvinhonline website.

In 2012, while serving as the Deputy Parish Priest of Quan Lang in Tuong Son - Anh Son, Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc secretly went to Con Cuong district several times to preach illegally. He was also behind the clashes between extremist elements within the parish and the local people of Con Cuong district, most notably the serious disturbance on July 1, 2012, in Trung Huong village, Yen Khe commune, which resulted in injuries to many people, including parishioners.

At that time, he was also the mastermind behind the illegal detention of people when officials and residents of Yen Khe commune came to persuade them not to spread religion illegally, because Con Cuong in general and Trung Huong - Yen Khe in particular were not under the jurisdiction of Quan Lang parish and had almost no followers of the religion.

Following the incident, the people of Yen Khe in particular, and Con Cuong in general, were outraged. If it weren't for the guidance of provincial leaders and relevant authorities advising people against rash actions, bloodshed would have been unavoidable, and the parishioners of Quan Lang parish would certainly have suffered the most. Father Thuc himself had to seek help from provincial leaders before he could return home safely.

Nguyen Dinh Thuc incited people from Quan Lang parish (Anh Son) to cause disturbances in Yen Khe (Con Cuong) in July 2012.

One would have thought that after that incident, Mr. Thuc would seriously mend his ways and fulfill his duties as a religious leader, advising parishioners to live virtuous lives, fostering unity between religious and non-religious people to build a prosperous homeland and country.

However, recently, on February 14, 2017, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thuc, acting as the mastermind, used a loudspeaker to incite, coerce, and organize a group of people from Song Ngoc parish to march to Ky Anh town, Ha Tinh province, to "protest against FORMOSA" and "demand compensation for the people," but in reality, to disrupt public order in the area. These actions constituted serious violations of the law, contradicted the positive results and efforts of the Party committee and government, went against the direction and activities of the Catholic Church in Vietnam, and were contrary to the responsibilities and duties of a religious leader, causing great public outrage. Even within the Catholic community, many people protested, demanding strict legal action and the restoration of social order and discipline.

Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc's actions not only failed to fulfill his duty to guide parishioners to "live a good life and uphold moral values," "respect God and love the country," and "live the Gospel within the nation," but also led believers to violate the law and go against the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws on religion.

Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incited parishioners to file complaints on February 14, 2017.

The incident that occurred on February 14, 2017, at Song Ngoc parish, Quynh Luu, once again confirms Mr. Thuc's systematic misconduct, and it can be said that "old habits die hard," making forgiveness difficult.

We urge the relevant authorities to clarify the situation and strictly punish those responsible according to the law, preventing individuals from exploiting religion to disrupt social order and security, and undermining the traditional unity between Buddhists and Catholics of the Vietnamese nation.

Integrity