1/14/11 Vietnam (AsiaNews) – The Catholic Church has brought values to Vietnamese national culture such as respect for life and human dignity, equality, charity, spirit of service and sacrifice, now at the end of its Jubilee year, it wants to be involved in building the country in all aspects: cultural, social, economic, in the practice of filial love to express gratitude to past generations and to the heroes of the people.
At the conclusion of the jubilee year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Catholic hierarchy and the 350th of the institution of the first two Apostolic Vicariates. The year began in the parish of Kien So, in the Archdiocese of Hanoi, November 24, 2009. It was followed by the Assembly of the People of God at the archdiocese’s pastoral center, 21 to 25 November 2010 andended at the National Marian Shrine of La Vang (pictured) January 4 to 6 this year .
The three final days, despite the torrential rain and cold, were attended by more than 500 thousand people, 35 Vietnamese bishops and seven from other countries, 1200 priests and a large number of catechists and volunteers.
The final message, which was presented on behalf of the Bishops Conference by Archbishop Nguyen Van Nhon, says that “the organization of the jubilee is an opportunity for the Church to relate to and learn the lesson of history: the presence of the Church, the religion of Good News, the religion of love and service. The purpose of Catholicism is to bring the message of Good News to the people and country, love of God and salvation history has shown that the charity of Catholicism meets the great humanity of Buddhism. It is the deep sentiment of religion, the practical social philosophy of Confucianism and innate honest life of the Vietnamese people, always respectful of “Troi – Phat,” God and Buddhism.
The bishops assembly believe that to become truly the Church of the country, it must integrate more into the history and culture of the people. In more than 400 years of presence, it has already contributed greatly to the life and development of Vietnam. It ‘was a Catholic who first transliterated the Vietnamese language in the Latin alphabet. Many talented people and scholars attended and graduated from Catholic institutions. And Catholics have brought important values to society and now want to be involved in its development.
The history of Catholicism in Vietnam shows that religious values have contributed to the culture of the country. Besides the contributions of other religions, Catholicism has borne fruit in the national culture, like language, poems, hymns, education and architecture. In particular, Catholics have participated and have worked hard to build a just and equitable society.
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