Ho Chi Minh City (Agenzia Fides) - "Hope for the new generations of Vietnamese youth is faith in Christ: the young people who look to a market economy, consumerism, the civilization of looking for new answers for their thirst for truth and new ways of life": this is what the theologian Fr. Joseph Do Manh Hung, Vice-Rector of the Major Seminary in Ho Chi Minh City and Secretary of the Commission for the Clergy of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam said in an interview with Fides. The Secretary has confidence in the Christian community’s future in Vietnam, noting on the one hand "the government’s signs of openness " and, on the other hand, the flourishing of vocations (over 1,500 seminarians) and 80 thousand young lay people committed to pastoral care.What are the prospects and hopes for Christians in Vietnam?
Hopes for the Christian faith is based mainly on young people. The Church in Vietnam has a population of 87 million people, it has 7 million members. And young people are the majority. In 7 major seminaries (2 in the north, 2 in the center and 3 in the south) we have over 1,500 seminarians, and this abundance of vocations is a boost of confidence for us. Faith is strengthened, but at the same time, there is the challenge represented by the opening of a market economy, consumerism, by the civilization of image. This challenge mainly affects young people, including seminarians and future priests who need adequate formation. This work of formation passes through the use and development of modern techniques.
Church Growing in Vietnam, 1500 Seminarians
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As a Vietnam era Navy veteran, I follow this issue very closely. I know that we left POWs behind. As the son of a German POW shot down on his 21st mission, this is entirely unacceptable. ---- Here in St. Louis, we have a local Vietnamese Parish. I have attended a few times. The Archdiocese gave the Vietnamese this parish because no one else would take it. It is now in a God forsaken area of town.---I happen to know that when the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam that we left POWs behind as slave labor. This is a Communist regime. The local Vietnamese pastor is called back periodically to Vietnam to file reports with the Communist government on the individual members of the parish in his care. ----There have been cases of assassination of dissidents which I point back to the government of Vietnam.
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