Hanoi - In an interview with the BBC program on 3rd January, Nguyen The Doanh, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, angered Catholics when he said that the Church has no ownership on its own properties. It is the State who decides and grants the permission for the Church to use its properties.

In an arrogant manner, Doanh reiterated a communist doctrine that advocated the abolition of the private ownership. Things, according to Doanh, are seen as social possessions. “Since the land use law has been in effect,” Doanh said, “lands were owned collectively, controlled and managed by the State. It is the State who decides and grants permissions for individuals and organizations to use them for long terms”. This statement clashes with those from Vietnam leaders and may cause confusions among foreign investors. If the government does not respect the legitimate ownerships of its own citizens, should they respect the foreign ones?

In another interview with the BBC program, Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet stated that he and his predecessors and Vietnam Conference of Catholic Bishops have sent petitions to the authorities for the return of the former Apostolic Delegate’s Office to Hanoi archdiocese. Yet, their petitions have gone unanswered.

When asked about the claim, Doanh said “Local authorities and the Archbishop’s See of Hanoi, itself, so far has not reported anything about it”. Doanh’s statement has seen as a blatant lie. Here are the facts:

1) Many lands that once belonged to the Church have been administered by the State on the grounds that they were needed for social purposes. Even when their purposes are no longer met, the lands are seldom returned to their owners. Instead, they have been used as financial resources for local government officials.

2) Catholic bishops in Vietnam have repeatedly spoken out on the issue.

3) After each meeting of the episcopal conference, the bishops typically send a memorial of the meeting to the Prime Minister and the State Administration for Religious Affairs. Since 2000, Catholic bishops have repeatedly asked that the former Apostolic Delegate’s Office should be returned to the Church.