Catholic World News News Feature
50 Years of Challenges for Vietnamese Cardinal June 29, 1999
Earlier this month, Cardinal Joseph Pham Dinh Tung of Hanoi celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, receiving congratulatory messages on that occasion from Pope John Paul II and the Vatican Congregation for Evangelization. One of the most widely respected men in his country, he has lived and ministered through 50 years of revolution and change in Vietnamese society.
Now 80 years old, the cardinal would like to retire from active ministry. But to date he has been unable to do so, because of the difficulty in finding a successor, and the problems that the Holy See has encountered in gaining clearance from the Hanoi government for the appointment of new bishops. In fact, in 1998 he was given the added duty of acting as apostolic administrator for Lang Son, a diocese in a mountainous region near the Chinese border. On June 3, Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung was delighted by the official announcement of three new episcopal appointments in Vietnam, including a new bishop for the Lang Son diocese-- an appointment which will ease his own burden.
Cardinal Joseph Pham Dinh Tung spoke recently with the FIDES news service, covering topics such as Church-state relations in Vietnam, the new government decree on religious activities, and the prospect of a visit by Pope John Paul II. This interview comes to CWN through the courtesy of FIDES.
Q: Your Eminence, on June 6 you marked the 50th anniversary of your ordination as a priest. What changes have you seen in Vietnam in these fifty years?
Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung: There have been many, mostly involving the economy. These changes have also affected our activity as bishops and priests. In theory religious activity is authorized by the local district authorities, with government approval. In practice we encounter quite a few obstacles with the local authorities. In April of this year, the government issued a new decree to regulate religious activity in Vietnam. But it is not very different from earlier such decrees. There is one point regarding church property which has been confiscated or "given" to the state; it will now remain State property. In some areas state control has been tightened. For example, with the new decree the state has the right to put an end to the activities of a congregation if it deems that congregation is unfaithful to its own ideals of life.
Q: You are the Archbishop of Hanoi and up until now have also been the apostolic administrator of Lang Son. Tell us about missionary problems in these dioceses.
Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung: The most worrisome problem is the scarcity of Church personnel. The Hanoi archdiocese has 400,000 Catholics gathered in 130 parishes which are 5 to 20 kilometers apart and the roads are not good. We have only 40 priests. Each of them must care for 10,000 souls, not counting the non-Christians among whom the parishioners should spread the Gospel.
The other diocese, Lang Son, borders on China. It has 5,000 Catholics in 16 mountain parishes. The people make up 80 percent of the country’s ethnic minorities. Lang Son has only one priest, aged 97, and a nun who is over 100!
Both Hanoi and Lang Son need more, well trained priests. We also need devout, well formed catechists. These are our greatest needs at the moment.
Q: As you are well over 75, you have presented your resignation to the Pope. Is there someone to succeed you? Are there other bishops in your situation?
Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung: Since I am well over the canonical retirement age I have asked to retire and have proposed a candidate as my successor. The Holy See and the government are negotiating the question. Let's hope they will reach a happy result.
Q: It is said that the people of Vietnam are anxious to invite the Pope to La Vang [Vietnam's revered Marian shrine] and that the country intends to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Has there been any progress in this direction?
Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung: Yes. All the Vietnamese people-- Christian or not-- ardently desire a papal visit. It would improve Vietnam’s prestige at the international level. Aware of the people’s desire the bishops’ conference asked the government to invite the Pope to Vietnam. Two months later the Bureau for Religious Affairs informed us of the prime minister’s reply. The government accepts in principle the possibility of a papal visit but intends to link its approval for such a visit to the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Holy See. But for the moment, these diplomatic relations still a long way off.
