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AUGUST 6, 1955.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
ELEVEN
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Savannah Evening Press
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VIETNAMESE REDS TRY TO MAKE
TOOLS OF PRIESTS IN THEIR
ZONE, BUT EFFORT IS FAILURE
(By Father Patrick O'Connor,
Society of St. Columban
Correspondent, N. C. W. C.
News Service)
SAIGON, South Vietnam—The
communist Vietminh are trying
to make tools of Catholic priests
in north Vietnam and to destroy
the spiritual influence of those
who won’t comply.
So far the Vietminh have en
listed on their side only about 15
priests from the whole country
or less than one per cent of all
Vietnamese priests. Five of these
belong to the south. The rest are
from northern vicariates. Most of
them have been on the Vietminh
side for years.
The 15 “progressive” priests
were brought together in the
north last winter. They visited
Catholic centers but the people
shunned them. When one of them
began Mass in a church in Phat-
Diem, the people walked out. If
Catholics attended meetings ad
dressed by these priests, it was
only under duress.
The Vietminh reportedly in
tended to promote a schismatic
“national” church. The mettle
shown by the Catholics and the
poor impression made by the “pro
gressive” priests slowed them
down. These priests were in no
toriously bad standing, showed
little ability and were split by
rivalry.
In March, a “congress, of patri
otic Catholics” sponsored by the
Vietminh regime and organized
by the 15 “progressive” priests
fell flat. In all, 46 priests and less
than 200 lay Catholics attended
Some of them had been duped
into coming. Others had come un
der pressure. All were housed in
government buildings in Hanoi
and government control was ob
vious.
Afterward the “liaison com
mittee” of this congress published
a letter to the Holy Father in
their organ, Chinh Nghia (Loyal
ty). The opening sentence is typi
cal: “Our congress had as its ob
jective to unite the Christians of
Vietnam with the effort of all the
people, to strengthen peace and
resist the American imperialists
and their servants, who divide our
country and force priests and peo
ple to go south.” It is not known
whether this letter was ever sent
to Rome or was published merely
for propaganda.
Next came the “delegation of
Polish Catholics,” a layman, the
chief, and two priests. All three
have been prominent in the Pax
Association, which promotes col
laboration between Polish Cath
olics and the Red Polish govern
ment. In north Vietnam they
preached coexistence and collab
oration between Catholics and the
Vietminh regime.
A Vietnamese Catholic, Nguyen
van Ha, came from France, re
portedly at the request of a high
Vietminh official, to give then-
support. Mr. Ha, who had beer
deported for his anti-French ac
tivities about five years ago, i:
married to the daughter of f
prominent French communist. Or
his recent errand to his homeland
he was aided by another Vietna
mese Catholic, an ex-seminarian
who studied in Louvain.
The Polish priests, each of \
whom reportedly carried a “cele- ,
bret” (approval for offering Mass), • 1
did not think highly of the 15 , *
“progressive” Vietnamese priests, i
The visitors urged that these >
should try to be reinstated in :
their vicariates.
The Polish delegation returned,
to Poland after a month arid a ;
half and Mr. Ha went back to
France. ..
While the Poles and Mr. Ha, •
were announcing religious free- ,
dom and urging collaboration, the >
Vietminh authorities were actual
ly tightening their stranglehold on
the Church. Priests were being -
rounded up for high pressure
‘study” of the Vietminh “religious,
policy.” Some were held for six
days, some for 15. They were
usually concentrated in an out-of- •
the-way village, sometimes under (,
armed guard. Sometimes selected j
lay Catholics were brought in and
the “study” became a session of
rehearsed accusations against the
priests.
“One priest is worth several
political commissars.” That is a
declared Vietminh estimate of a
priest who might be tricked or ,
intimidated into expounding the
Vietminh “line.”
Meanwhile impossible taxes are
being demanded for rice fields be-!
longing to parish churches and re- 1
ligious institutions. Priests are
prevented from moving freely on;;
parish rounds. Catholics are kept,
at communist meetings until mid
night on Saturday, so that they'
may find it hard to rise for Mass,
always early in this country. Chil-.
dren are taught that there is no
God and that they have no im
mortal soul.
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