Archbishop of Hanoi confirms restitution of nunciature, thanks pope
ICC Note:
After 40 days of protest, the Archbishop of Hanoi has announced that the building confiscated by the government will be returned to the church. The church in Vietnam is grateful for the unity of the people and the support around the world.
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2/2/08 Vietnam (AsiaNews) The archbishop of Hanoi confirmed yesterday evening that the Vietnamese government is restoring to the Catholic Church the use of the building that housed the apostolic nunciature.
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Since last December 18th, thousands of Vietnamese Catholic faithful had protested in daily prayer vigils before the former nunciature of Hanoi, to ask the government to return it to the Church. The building had been confiscated by the communist leadership in 1959. In these 40 days of protests, the archbishop continued, “We have lived a new Pentecost. We have been united and devoted ourselves to the prayers, despite challenges and hardshipΒ.
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The protest of the Vietnamese Catholics was followed by various Catholic news outlets, including AsiaNews, and through these by the entire world. In conclusion, Archbishop NgΓ΄ thanked “the entire Vietnamese people and the people of the world for their prayers and their support”, and he wished all “a happy lunar new year, full of God’s abundant graces”.
