ASIA/VIETNAM - Caritas and Justice and Peace Commission: more commitment by Church to social work

Hanoi (Agenzia Fides) – The Church of Vietnam intends to strengthen its presence in society, serving the poor and marginalised, in development projects and peace. Taking this direction of greater consolidation and more structured efforts are the two organs that express the Church's mission in this field: Caritas and the Commission for Justice and Peace.
As reported to Fides by Fr Bonnie Mendes, director of the Asia Department of Caritas Internationalis, in a recent meeting held in Bangkok, Caritas Vietnam has become member of Caritas Internationalis, entering fully into the network and thus assuming greater responsibility both on the global stage, and within the Country. With the approval of the civil authorities, Caritas Vietnam can now extend into all dioceses, coordinating its efforts in order to satisfy the needs of the people throughout the territory. “It is a very positive sign for the local Church, a sign of great hope for the future. The Government has realised that the Caritas works for the common good of society,” said Fr Mendes.
The Justice and Peace Commission of the Episcopal Conference, formally created by the Bishops in October 2010, has also begun work, led by Bishop Paul Nguyen Thai Hop of Vinh (President) and Fr Antoine Nguyen Ngoc Son (Secretary General).
Fides was informed by the local Church that the Commission's work is inspired by that of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, following the same objectives: to promote justice and peace in society, according to the teachings of the Gospel and the Church's social doctrine. The Commission - already having taken action in recent months to defend the rights of Christians on issues of ownership of Church property - has announced a conference entitled “Justice and Peace in Vietnam today”, to be held at the Pastoral Care Centre in Saigon on Sunday, 27 March, with the aim of presenting the goals and implementation methods of the Commission to the entire local Church, and to establish sub-committees in the various dioceses to develop more local roots. Furthermore, the Commission will have its own website: via the web they hope to contribute to a more humane and harmonious development of the whole Country. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 25/3/2011)