Fresh mass demonstrations in Vietnam in support of Catholics

(Aug.04,2009): In Vietnam, a new day of protests took place on Sunday in Vinh and in other dioceses in the country, to demand an end to the persecution of the Catholics of Dong Hoi and the return of the church of Tam Toa to the faithful. At least 500 thousand people in 178 parishes of the diocese, gathered at various sites to denounce the violence of the Government against priests, religious and lay faithful. Carrying white-yellow (the Vatican colours) banners and flags, they called for justice against the requisition of land, and an end to the poisonous campaign against the Catholic Church, that defames religion and promotes hatred between Catholics and non Catholics.
It is the second time that such impressive events have occurred across Vietnam, after police violence against the faithful of Dong Hoi, for having hoisted a provisional tent near the ruins of the church of Tam Toa, which the faithful want to see returned to the purpose, for which it was built. The government instead, wants to make it a monument against the war crimes of the Americans, who bombed it during the Vietnam conflict, and build around it, a tour site justifying its use as such with the statement, that there are no Catholics in Tam Toa, which is not true as shown by the demonstrations of thousands of faithful