Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

Redemptorists at a parish in Hanoi have urged local Catholics to keep calm after a mob led by government officials attacked a convent and church in early November. Tens of thousands of people attended 10 special Masses celebrated on Nov. 5 and 6 at Thai Ha Church in the capital. On Nov. 3, around 100 people, accompanied by security officials and members of the press, attacked a convent. They fled after the church’s bell rang out, bringing many people to the scene. “We strongly condemn this violent, rude and organized attack,” Joseph Nguyen Van Phuong, the Redemptorist priest who is pastor of the parish, told one congregation. He urged them to “forgive them and avoid retaliation.” He said the motive behind the attack probably stems from an ongoing dispute with the government over seized church property.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy met inside St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of the funeral for Pope Francis on the morning of April 26.
Associated PressApril 26, 2025
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily for the funeral of Pope Francis.
America StaffApril 26, 2025
The day before he died, Pope Francis made one final circuit through St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile. “That’s my last image of him alive,” Gerry O’Connell remembered. “He drove among the people.”
Universities need to change. But Trump is attacking the wrong problems.
Nathan SchneiderApril 25, 2025