Parishioners face police in mass

In a pastoral letter sent to his flock, bishop of Da Nang condemns the brutal attack of police against Catholics in a funeral asking both the local government and parishioners to be self-retrained in order to avoid further violence.

Bishop Joseph Chau Ngoc Tri of Da Nang reported in a letter signed on May 6 that a funeral procession for a parishioner in Con Dau had met with violence by Vietnam police who tried to prevent the deceased to be buried in the parish cemetery.

On May 4, after the Requiem Mass, 500 Catholics in the parish of Con Dau faced the brutal attack of police when they tried to bury Maria Tan, 93, at the parish cemetery. 59 parishioners were arrested after the clash with police that lasted for about an hour. “Police are hunting more parishioners,” Bishop Joseph Chau warned.

The prelate protested with the local government asking for the immediate release of detainees.

Since early this year, the peaceful life of Con Dau residents have been turned upside down by a local governmental decision to clear out all homes in the parish of Con Dau, established 130 years ago, to make room for a tourist resort.