|
By Chris Hook
Archbishop George Pell (pictured) has lent his voice to calls for the Vietnamese government to release Fr Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, a campaigner for religious freedom.
In a letter to Vietnam’s Australian
Ambassador, he said: “On behalf of the Catholic community in Australia, I formally protest Fr Ly’s arrest and the long campaign of persecution and harassment that he and others working for religious freedom in
Vietnam have suffered at the hands of authorities.
“I ask you to convey this request to the government of Vietnam. I request that Fr Ly be immediately released from prison.”
Fr Ly, a well-known
campaigner against the Vietnamese government’s religious repression, was imprisoned for one year in 1977-78 and for nine years (May 1983 to July 1992) for “opposing the revolution and destroying the people’s unity”.
His current woes stem from his appeal to the US Congress not to ratify a bilateral trade agreement between Vietnam and the US because of the lack of respect for human rights and freedom of religion in
Vietnam.
He had also been under instruction not to carry out any religious activity, but had continued to carry out his parish responsibilities.
Fr Ly’s diocesan colleagues have warmly received
Archbishop Pell’s intervention.
Fr Peter Nguyen Huu Giai and Fr Peter Phan Van Loi wrote to expressing their appreciation.
“We have been deeply touched because, according to our knowledge, you are the
first Catholic archbishop in the world to raise up your voice to support Fr Ly,” they wrote.
“Even to be distant in geography you are close to us in the mystery of communication and unification in our
Catholic Church.
“Your action is a great comfort to Fr Ly and to all of us … It is also a great encouragement to people around the world to support our fight for religious freedom, democracy and human rights
in Vietnam.”
Meanwhile, 142 expatriate Vietnamese priests, scattered around the globe, have signed a declaration expressing their support for Fr Ly, and their concern at the lack of freedom of religion in
Vietnam.
“Though living and serving away from the fatherland, we as Vietnamese and as priests remain attached to our people and country,” the declaration states. “We always pray for our people to be truly
free and for our country to be prosperous, in which every Vietnamese is loved and respected in accordance with his or her human dignity.
“We are convinced that religious freedom is absolutely a basic and
spiritual need for man and society. For the future of Vietnam, religious freedom is not only a legitimate demand, but also a matter of human rights that needs to be urgently solved.”
The group called for an
end to religious persecution in Vietnam and for governments and human rights organisations to help the defence of human rights in Vietnam.
|
