Hanoi - As Catholic protests continued Monday over the government's clearance of a plot of land claimed by Hanoi's Archdiocese, non-Catholics' sympathy for the protestors was damaged by a statement by Hanoi Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet that was quoted out of context in the state-controlled press. Several organs of Vietnam's government-controlled press Monday quoted Kiet as having told Hanoi's People's Committee, the city's governing body, on Saturday that he felt "humiliated to be carrying a Vietnamese passport."
The quote left out the context of the remarks. Kiet told the committee that when traveling abroad he often felt "humiliated to be carrying a Vietnamese passport because wherever we go, we are always examined" by customs agents, unlike Japanese citizens.
"I hope Vietnam becomes a strong, united country, so that we are respected everywhere we go," Kiet continued.
Some Vietnamese who read the truncated quote in the paper appeared to have been offended by it.
"He should not have said that, because he is Vietnamese," said Nguyen Hai Thanh, 34, an instructor at Hanoi National University. "As a Vietnamese, even if his country is poor, he should not belittle his country."
Tensions have been running high between the government and the church over the past month, as the government has responded with increasing severity to Catholic protestors demanding the return of former church properties at two locations in Hanoi.
On Friday, the government sent police and earthmovers to clear a plot at 42 Nha Chung Street in downtown Hanoi, the site of the city's former Papal Nunciature. Hundreds of Catholics camped out at the site last winter and set up a shrine to the Virgin Mary, demanding it be returned to the church.
Vietnam's government says the land was legally reassigned to the Hanoi People's Committee in 1961, when the country had a Soviet-style socialist economy. A 2003 decree states the government will not reopen property disputes dating back prior to 1991, when the country introduced a new land law as part of its move towards a free-market economy.
The government says it has offered the church other plots of land for its needs, but the church insists on the one at 42 Nha Chung Street.
Hundreds of Catholics responded to the arrival of the clearance crews on Friday by massing in the street in front of the site, and on Sunday thousands turned out for morning mass at adjacent St. Joseph's Cathedral, filling the square in front of the church.
Such public protests are extremely rare in Vietnam, where the Communist Party is the sole legal political party.
On Sunday the People's Committee sent Kiet a written warning to stop encouraging his parishioners to press the land dispute, and accusing him of violating the country's Ordinance on Religions.
Father Pham Anh Dung, Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese, said Monday the government's sudden move to clear the land had violated promises made during negotiations in March to return it to the church.
"The issue was still under discussion, and suddenly on September 18, the Hanoi People's Committee decided to develop the land without asking our opinion," said Dung. "I think they are stealing our land, so we are very angry."
On Sunday, a crowd of several thousand turned out for morning mass at adjacent Saint Joseph's Cathedral,
Several dozen Catholics continued to hold a vigil Monday on Nha Chung Street, across from the government land clearing crews. They expressed anger at the government's treatment of the Archbishop.
"The local media have distorted the truth," said Maria Nguyen Thi Tuyet, 37. "The truth is always the truth. No one can stand up in the name of justice and distort the truth."
