Incomplete joy

(Baonghean.vn)- 4 September 2013, a new Auxiliary Bishop was ordained in a peaceful and orderly Mass. The joy was however incomplete...

Extremist Catholics might not know that their joy in the Ordination Mass was assured and amplified by great effort of local authority to embellish the village landscape. Especially, the government and relevant agencies had been rushing to achieve the construction of a spacious, clean and beautiful road connecting 1A Highway with the Episcopal See center in order to facilitate access to the Ordination Mass. Eventhough, only some hours after the end of the Mass, hundreds of extremist Catholics in My Yen parish caused a chaos with bricks and sticks right in front of the headquarter of the People’s committee of Nghi Phuong commune (Nghi Loc district, Nghe An), not far from Xa Doai Episcopal See, making dozens injured.

Enjoying the Grace in the morning

The Consecration would not start until 7am but the roads leading to the Episcopal See have been crowded from dawn. Dozens of thousands of people moved to Xa Doai Episcopal See in Nghi Dien commune, Nghi Loc district, all activities were however conducted in order, without any collision nor traffic accident. To prepare for the Ordination Mass, a rostrum had been installed at the center of the Episcopal See yard, roads leading to the Episcopal See beautifully decorated by flags, flowers and banners since few days. The atmosphere was full of joyful laughters, completed by the respectful presence of the representatives of local authorities and dioceses all over the country.

As Mass music was turned on, the Bishops, the Priests, the Catholics and the guests were overwhelmed of joy, enjoying the grace that God and the Holy See had given Vinh diocese including 20 missions, 190 parishes and more than 525 300 Catholics. The Episcopal See’s representatives sent to everyone previously prepared documents about the Mass as well as new Auxiliary Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Vien’s biography.

Priest Peter Nguyen Van Vien was born on 8th January 1965 in Huong Phuong commune, Quang Trach district, Quang Binh province. In 1984, after having finished his military service, Peter Nguyen Van Vien attended Hue university and got a degree of Bachelor of Economic science. In 1993, he joined Vinh Thanh Seminary and received Pastoral Ordination on 3rd October 1999, under control of Vinh diocese. Later, Priest Peter Nguyen Van Vien attended the courses in Catholic Academy of Sydney, Australia from 2000 to 2009, graduated with a Theology Doctor’s degree. As he returned to Vietnam in 2009, Priest Peter Nguyen Van Vien was promoted to Vice president and Professor of dogma of Vinh Thanh Seminary. Since 2010, he had been Vinh diocese’s general representative and was appointed by Pope Francis as Vinh diocese’s Auxiliary Bishop.

The Consecration was attended by Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, non-resident representative of the Holy See in Vietnam. Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, Vinh diocese’s Bishop, presided the Ordination. Before the Mass’s beginning, the cathedral and the Episcopal See campus had been much more uproarious than usual but as soon as the Mass had begun, the silence covered the atmosphere. The Consecration was solemnly

chaired by Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop who quoted The Church’s speech to exhort Vinh diocese’s Catholics to welcome the new Auxiliary Bishop with gratitude, joy and respect.

After the congratulation speech of the Bishops, the Priests and the Catholic syndicate of Vinh diocese, the new Auxiliary Bishop spoke out his determination to strengthen the spirit of unity among the catholic community and the awareness of being a good Catholic as well as a good citizen to contribute to the development of the society.

The Ordination Mass of Vinh diocese’s Auxiliary Bishop ended in a peaceful and orderly atmosphere.

The Consecration of Auxiliary Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Vien at Vinh diocese’s Espicopal See

Rioting in the afternoon

Happiness is always short-lived. Only some hours after the end of the Ordination Mass, hundreds of extremist Catholics of My Yen parish thronged in front of the headquarter of the People’s committee of Nghi Phuong commune, Nghi Loc district (Nghe An) to disrupt

the open meeting of military and civilians organized by Nghi Phuong commune’s authority. Those Catholics even used stones, cudgels and many types of weapons (previously prepared) to attack officials and people at the headquarter, making many injured.

Eventhough security forces kept on calling for serenity, they got strongly attacked in their turn, which dragged the riot into an even more chaotic situation. Things turned out serious when an «alarm gong» was rung like a previously chosen signal. Shortly thereafter, number of Catholics flocking to the headquarter of the People’s committee of Nghi Phuong commune increased at a surprising speed. The crowd kept on shouting, disrupting public order and obstructing traffic on the part running through Nghi Phuong commune of the provincial Highway number 534. They also rounded up officials and people inside the headquarter, attacking them by stones of different sizes until the point that some people bled down, sprawling on the ground in the headquarter campus.

The extremists Catholics only stopped when Priest Peter Nguyen Xuan Quy of Xuan My parish was devolved by Auxiliary Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Vien to appease the rioters.

Priest Peter Nguyen Xuan Quy spoke to those Catholics: «Such a riot is illegal and harmful to the solidarity of Catholics and non-Catholics. You should calm down and go home, stop thronging and osbstructing traffic». Priest Nguyen Van Quy discussed with the authority and the security force later, announcing: The Catholics would stop rioting and go home...The Priest’s presence was so convincing that the excessive crowd disbanded and restored order in the headquarter of the People’s Committee and on the provincial Highway number 534.

Officials in the People’s Committee of Nghi Phuong commune had already been threaten by extremist Catholics before. More precisely, it had been a week (from 30 August to 4 September) since such riots had took place (at least 3), disrupting public order and suspending production ans business activities, causing serious people and property damage.

To clearly understand what happened, it seems logical to introduce some information that may possibly be the origine of this riot: Everything began when Nghe An police conducted the detention and criminal prosecution of 2 subjects Ngo Van Khoi and Nguyen Van Hai for having disrupted public order on 27 June 2013. Previously, on 22 May 2013, these individuals (along with some others) had shouted and agitated the crowd to round up, assault and vandalize Mr. Dau Van Son’s house, causing damage in hundreds of millions VND. Mr Dau Van Son is also Chief of Nghi Phuong commune’s militia.

Thereafter, some Priests in Xa Doai Episcopal See Office and some excessive Catholics kept sending documents and gave agitation speeches to the relatives of the detained subjects in order to make pressure and claim for release. The situation especially got worse after Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop’s return from abroad on 26 August 2013.

Only 2 days after the return of Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop to Vinh diocese’s Episcopal See, on 30 August 2013, about 100 extremist Catholics crowded the headquarter of the People’s Committee of Nghi Phuong commune to disrupt public order, insult and threat Mr. Dau Van Son, they even obliged him to take out his uniform.

The situation came at its worst at 8.30am 3 September 2013 as hundreds of Catholics thronged in front of the headquarter of the People’s Committee of Nghi Phuong commune, blockaded the office. They also illegaly detained 6 officials including the Vice Precident of the district’s People’s Committee; the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union; the President of the district’s Farmers Union; the President, Vice President and Deputy Secretary of Nghi Phuong commune’s Standing Party Committee in the office of the President of the commune’s People’s Committee.

Under illegal detention, the officials kept on being insulted, getting their clothes torn out and their faces slapped by the excessive Catholics. Some Catholics compelled the President of the commune’s People’s Committee by force to write a signed and stamped commitment letter which suggests the provincial Police to release 2 arrested Catholics at 4pm 4 September. All the detained officials were compelled to sign on the letter in exchange for their release. At 5.45 pm 3 September, the excessive Catholics disbanded.

Two accused Nguyen Van Hai and Ngo Van Khoi had already confessed to the investigation agency

During those days (30 August, 3 and 4 September 2013), Nghe An province and Nghi Loc district’s authorities have tried to contact Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop by letters and have even sent a delegation of officials to Xa Doai Episcopal See to put an end to the chaos together. Their effort was in vain face to Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop’s uncooperative attitude which made him blameworthy for his disappointing response on the position of a Presiding Bishop.

The autority’s effort and goodwill have been denied and distorted by excessive people, leading to systematic law violations. Those are extremely serious criminal acts that relevant agencies are investigating and processing to ensure stability of the law.