By inciting parishioners to illegally break down the brick wall, encroach upon and put up facilities on the Chien Thang Garment Company’s compound, the priests attempted to legalise the ownership of the land and justify their law-breaking activities. In articles published on foreign online media, especially on www.chuacuuthe.com, the priests tried to distort the content of official documents on land use issued by the State, the National Assembly and the Government.

They insisted that National Assembly resolution No23 concerning the State’s land use and management adopted in 2003 is not a legal document, which is contrary to the Constitution and does not meet people’s aspiration.

But the facts speak for themselves. The National Assembly - the most powerful body of the Vietnamese State - adopted the resolution on November 26, 2003 to complete land management during the process of socialist construction in Vietnam at the time. The 1992 Constitution affirms that land is the asset of the nation. Article 5 of the 2003 Land Law also stipulates that land belongs to the entire population’s ownership represented by the State. The approval of the resolution is to bring those documents to life and live up to the people’s expectations.

The resolution, adopted 11 years after the 1992 Constitution concurrently with the approval of the 2003 Land Law, aims to guide the implementation of State regulations on land management. Therefore, the denial of the legality of this document is a purposeful distortion of the truth. Thai Ha Parish priests claimed that the administration had stolen their land and that Thai Ha Parish had lodged the petition before the resolution was adopted. The Government’s circular No73 dated July 7, 1962 states that land for lease owned by religious sects and associations, no matter how large it is, is put under direct State management.

In official dispatches to Thai Ha Parish priests, relevant agencies of Hanoi affirmed that their reclamation of the land at 178 Nguyen Luong Bang street is groundless, for all State documents, including Government circular No73, govern all entities, and like other religious organisations, Thai Ha Parish is obliged to abide by the law.

It is clear to all and sundry that Vietnam is a State governed by law and all individuals and organisations must act according to the law. By denying the legality of documents and distorting the truth, Thai Ha Parish attempts to separate itself from the community and gives itself the right to bend the rules, hurling insults at the Fatherland and the legal system- the key to national strength and stability.

But despite their slanderous allegations, Thai Ha Parish priests cannot cover up the truth that the land at 178 Nguyen Luong Bang Street is managed by the State. If they want to reclaim their land, they should have followed legal procedures instead of inciting parishioners to illegally break down the wall, destroy public property, put up their own facilities and cause social disorder.

Over the past years, the State has allocated land for many localities to meet their need for religious practice. Most recently, the Central Highland province of Lam Dong has allocated 13,000m2 of land for the Da Lat Archdiocese.  The central province of Quang Tri has also granted 20ha of land to the Hue Archdiocese to build La Vang Church. The Red River delta province of Thai Binh has allocated 2,100m2 of land for the Thai Binh Archdiocese to build seminaries. It is certain that Thai Ha Parish knows this stark fact. However, several priests of Thai Ha Parish have made use of God’s faith to serve their own purposes.

The late Pope John Paul II once said that the church wanted to “be the seed of unity and not the cause of division of humanity”. People wonder how Thai Ha Parish priests promote good deeds while inciting parishioners to engage in law-breaking activities. If they continue to commit the offence, they will damage the Hanoi Archdiocese’s reputation and shake the Catholic community’s confidence in Christianity – a religion which has joined efforts with the nation through different periods of history.