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Increasing Catholic Strength
In Southern Vietnam Drawing
Fire From Pseudo-Buddhists
By Father Joseph independence have aroused
Pham-Chau-Dien strong opposition on the part
(N.C.W.C. News Service) of certain elements who are
QUINHON, Vietnam, — The seeking to offset the Church’s
sharp gains achieved by Catho- growth and strengthen Bud-
licism since this country won its dhism for their political ends.
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Following a period of stagna
tion that lasted several-decades,
Catholicism has flourished in
Vietnam since 1955 to the extent
that there now are more than
190,000 catechumens throughout _
tlie country waiting to be re
ceived into tne Cnurch. The
Catlioiic population is now
about I,60o,0o0 m a total esti
mated al about 12,500,000.
Reasons lor this unprecedent
ed progress are tworold. Tne
first lies in the example of He
roic resistance oiiered by Viet
namese La inches to commu
nism. ileiore Vietnam was split
m two in 1904, a majority of
Vietnamese catholics lived m
tne normern part of the coun
try wmcn is now ruled by tne
communists, bince men, despite
Red ellorts to stop Idem, more
tnan 7OO,O00 of tile 1,200,000
Camolies wno lived in the north
have lied here to tne Republic
or Vietnam.
Tlie second source of gain for
the Church is directly United to
the departure of the Trench
winch, under the inliuence of
Catholic V letnamese .President
IN go Dmh Diem, has led to the
disappearance among the na
tives of an ancient prejudice
closely linking Catholicism to
colonialism. The initial Trench
occupation of indo-Clnna was
begun 100 years ago on the pre
text of protecting the Catholic
missionaries and faithful, who
were then undergoing bloody
persecution.
In the face of the Church’s
flourishing prospects, certain
groups have launched a cam
paign of political activities un
der the cloak of Buddhism, the
nation’s oldest religion. Main
purpose of their activities is to
obtain the backing of the mass
es in parliamentary and elec
toral consultations scheduled to
be held next year.
Easily recognizable in this
campaign is the hand of com
munism which, outlawed, hides
behind a religion which disci
pline has become lax to the
point where any man can be
come a Buddhist monk merely
by changing his robes.
A number of communist lead
ers have thus become pseudo
monks, to freely pursue their ac
tivities without police interfer
ence. An example of their ef
forts to subvert the people was
found in the town of Binhdinh,
where police forces seized a doc
ument ordering Red leaders to
support Buddhism for, it said:
“The triumph of Buddhism is
the triumph of communism.”
Favored among the propagan
da weapons used by these ele
ments, communist or others, is
the claim that Catholicism will
only bring hardships and per
secution to the people in retalia
tion for the Catholic priests and
laymen who themselves fell the
victims of persecution at the
hands of natives in past Vietna
mese history.
Other tactics used by these
groups include the formation of
a National Buddhist Commun
ity, which has its headquarters
in Saigon. Also in the same city
they have established a semi
nary for the formation of fu
ture Buddhist monks.
Pseudo - Buddhist elements
have gone so far as to create a
liturgy with ceremonies close
ly resembling, or directly cop
ied from, Catholic practices, par
ticularly where baptism, mar
riage, funeral rites, processions
and the veneration of sacred im
ages are concerned.
Anti-Church activities also in
clude the publication of several
periodicals, and the establish
ment in all main cities and vil
lages of primary and secondary
scnools where religious classes
in Buddhism are included in the
academic curricula.
The struggle against Catholi
cism is often overt. In the Apos
tolic Vicariate of ■ yumnon,
which has a high percentage of
conversions, pseudo - Buddhist
elements go directly to the
houses of catechumens who are
about to enter the Church and
seek to persuade them not to
embrace the Faith. They have
Ilkwise organized associations
of “militants,” again similar to
the Catholic Legions of Mary, to
further carry their propaganda
among the people.
But despiti its Activities, the
pseudo-Buddhist movement has
not achieved the success it hop
ed for. An attempt made by its
leaders to obtain permission to
erect the movement as a Bud
dhist political party has failed.
One reason for the organiza
tion's lack of followers lies in
the absence of support from
genuine Buddhist monks, who
are opposed to the National
Buddhist Community’s leaders.
The latter are not monks them
selves, but for the most part lay
men.
Another reason finds its
source in internal dissensions
existing within the religion it
self. Buddhism in Vietnam has
traditionally belonged to the
the school of doctrine known as
Mayahana, literally “The Great
er Vehicle.” The introduction of
the second school of doctrine
known as Hinayana, “The Les
ser Vehicle,” the Vietnam a few
years ago has led to bitter con
flicts between the two sects,
which definitely curbed the in
fluence of Buddhism through
out tlie country.
Meanwhile, Caodaism — a
synthetic religion drawing on
Christian, Buddhist and Confu-
ciamst beliefs which was found
ed in Vietnam in the 1920’s —
has practically ceased growing
since 1955. But there are nearly
two million Caodaists, and they
continue strong in the practice
of their religion.
Since 1955, and especially
with the arrival of the Ameri
cans, Protestantism has made
some progress, mostly in and
around the capital at Saigon.
But relations between Catholics
and Protestants are on a far
better footing than those be
tween Catholics arid Buddhists.
Services For
Mrs. Bryant
ATLANTA, Ga. — Funeral
services for Mrs. H, A. (Cathe
rine) Bryant were held August
Uth at tne Sacred Heart Church,
Rev. M. Faschan officiating.
Survivors are her husband,
Mr. H, A. Bryant, Decatur; Mrs.
Marion Watson, Miss Margaret
Bayliss, Mr. and Mrs. G. V. Bay-
iiss, Alexandria, Va.; Mr. and
Mrs. G. V. Bayliss, Arlington,
Va.; Mr. J. R. Bayliss, and nieces
and nephews.
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Theology for
The Layman
(Continued from Page Four)
Father and Son are co-eternal.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
likewise are co-eternal. We
must be on guard against think
ing that first the Father had a
Son, then Father and Son united
to produce the Holy Spirit —
and who knows what person
may next emerge within the
infinite fecundity of God? There
is no question of succession, for
there is no succession in eter
nity. The Father did not have
to wait till He was old enough
or mature enough to beget a Son
or lonely enough to want one.
He eternally is, in the plenitude
of life and power. Merely by
being, He knows Himself with
that infinite intensity of know
ledge which necessarily produces
the Idea, The Son.
Nor must Father and Son wait
while their love grows to the
point where it can utter itself
in a Third Person. Merely by
being, they love with the pleni
tude of loving-power, merely by
loving thus intensely they utter
their love: the Holy Spirit is as
inevitable as Father and Son.
We have used the words
“necessarily” and “inevitably.”
They are worth a closer look.
It is possible that the Son may
seem less real to us because He
is an Idea in the mind of His
Father, He is, we may feel, only
a thought after all, whereas we
ourselves are not simply
thoughts in God’s mind, we
really exist. But we exist only
because God wills us to exist;
if He willed us not to exist, we
should cease to be.
But He cannot will the Second
Person out of existence, any
more than He willed Him into
existence. We must not imagine
the Father feeling that it would
be nice to have a son and think
ing one into existence, and as
liable to think Him out of exis
tence again if the humor took
Him. It is an exigency of the
divine nature that the Father
should thus know Himself;
simply by being Himself the Fa
ther knows Himself, generates
the Idea of Himself; there is no
element whatever of contingen
cy in the existence of the Second
Person; there is origin but no
dependence. God is as necces-
sarily Son as He is Father.
The same line of thought
shows us the Holy Spirit, too,
as necessarily existing. There is
no difference among the Three
in eternity or neccessity; and
there is no inequality. The Fa
ther possesses the divine nature
unreceived; Son and Holy Spirit
possesses it as received; but they
possess it in its totality. They
have received everything from
the Father, everything. To quote
from the Preface for the Trinity:
“Whatever we believe, on Thy
revelation, of Thy glory, we hold
the same of the Son, the same
of the Holy Ghost, without any
difference to separate them. So
that in the affirmation of the
true and eternal Godhead, we
adore distinction in the Persons,
oneness in the Essence, equality
in majesty.”
THE! BULLETIN, September 6, 1958—PAGE 5
UNIVERSITY
HONORS BISHOP
Most Rev. William T. Mulloy,
D.D., Bishop of Covington, Ky.,
received an honorary Doctor of
Laws degree from the Universi
ty of Kentucky at commence
ment exercises in Memorial
Coliseum.
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