Pope Benedict XVI Appoints Special Envoy to Closing Jubilee Year of Vietnam Church

(December 30, 2010) In a Letter written in Latin, dated 21 December, and made public on Tuesday Afternoon, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as his special envoy to the closing celebrations of the Jubilee Year of the Church in Vietnam, called to mark the 350th anniversary of the creation of the first two apostolic vicariates in the country, and the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic hierarchy. The celebrations are due to take place at the Marian shrine of LaVang from 4 to 6 January 2011. The celebration comes at a time when the Vietnamese hierarchy is in conflict with the country’s government, which is seeking to exercise greater restraint on the Church. The establishment of “patriotic Catholic” committees suggests that Vietnamese authorities may seek to imitate the policies of China’s government, hoping to seize control of Catholic affairs. The cardinal will be accompanied by Fr. Antoine Duong Quynh, chancellor of the archdiocese of Hue , Vietnam , and rector of the cathedral of Phu Cam in Hue ; and by Fr. Francois Xavier Vu Phan Long O.F .M., secretary of the biblical commission of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam.