Card. Phạm Minh Mẫn: the blood of martyrs, the future of the Church of Vietnam (profile)
Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - "The blood of
martyrs is the seed of faith that God has continued to pour out into the
country in many historical periods of difficulty and change. Not only the blood
of the martyrs, but also the sweat and tears
of Catholic families, communities and our ancestors. They all sacrificed themselves
to serve God, the Church and society" in Vietnam. So says Card. Jean-Baptiste
Pham Minh
Mẫn, archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City (one of the 115
cardinals electors gathered today in the Sistine Chapel to choose a successor
to Benedict XVI) who recounts the miracle of faith in a country led by a
communist government that for decades has stifled religious freedom. Speaking
to the faithful on the occasion of the celebration for the Vietnamese martyrs, on
November 24 last, he stressed the profound value of the mission of God's word,
in a reality where Catholics are a minority, often the victim of persecution,
abuse and violence:
"The aim is to bring the values of the Gospel and the life human to the family,
the social, economic and political spheres. This is the road we must take in the
mission of the New Evangelization, and to accompany Jesus in the service of life and development of
the human family "
Card. Jean-Baptiste
Phạm
Minh Mẫn archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam, was born March 5,
1934 in Ca Mau, in the diocese of Can Tho. From
1946 to 1954 he completed his secondary education at the minor seminary in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. From
1954 to 1956 he was a student at the Major Seminary of St. Joseph in the former
Saigon, where he studied philosophy. After
a period devoted to teaching, he pursued theological studies between 1961 and
1965. Ordained
on May 25, 1965 in the Cathedral of Can Tho, he initially worked as a teacher
at the Minor Seminary Blessed Quy. In
the most turbulent period in the recent history of the country, following the
reunification with the North (1975) when power passed to Hanoi, with a
restriction on the freedom of religion and anti-Christian persecutions, he still
managed carry out his task of forming priests.
In
1988 the Communist government allowed six major seminaries to continue their
activities one of which (the Holy Quy) was entrusted to the future cardinal where
he was appointed rector. On
22 March 1993 Pope John Paul II appointed him coadjutor of My Tho, with his
episcopal ordination taking place on 22 August.
He chose as his motto the phrase "As I have loved you." In
1996 he was able to make his first ever trip to Rome, on the "ad
limina" visit of the Vietnamese bishops. On
March 1, 1998 - after three years of vacant see - he was appointed to the
Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City, where he became Metropolitan Archbishop, the
following April 2. In
the first five years he ordained 79 diocesan priests and 68 religious. Pope
John Paul II created him a cardinal in the consistory of 21 October 2003 and he
became a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of
the Sacraments, for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council
for Pastoral Healthcare.
During
his years as a professor and rector of Vietnamese seminaries, the cardinal
understood the importance of spiritual formation for priests and lay people, on
several occasions emphasizing the work of catechists, as "people who teach
the faith" and participate "in the work construction of the Church. " "God
sows his word - he said during a meeting with the faithful in Saigon - [...
and] to cultivate the seeds we must pray, have fellowship, do charitable work
like Jesus." Cardinal
Pham Minh
Mẫn then
invited families to "renew and enlarge the communion in the Church of
Christ" to "integrate ourselves as much as possible in the social context
in which we live, to proclaim the Gospel."
The
theme of proclamation is intrinsically linked to religious freedom, often termed
by Benedict XVI as the very foundations of life and dignity for each
individual. Religious
liberty and relations with the Vietnamese authorities have often been the
subject of speeches and position papers of the Cardinal of Saigon, in a
perspective of growth of the Church and the faithful. He
recalled that "since 2007 have no longer had to ask permission to welcome
new candidates to the priesthood," and before "the seminary could
accommodate 20 candidates every two years." However,
the cardinal urges priests and laity to "abandon a mentality of self-defense"
for fear of persecution or reprisals from the authorities and go out to meet
"all members of society, Catholics and others, including the state."
At
the same time, the Vietnamese prelate's committment to the struggle in defense of life and, in particular against abortions which he
terms "a scourge that goes against the moral and cultural traditions of
our people" and the abandonment of newborn infants. After
years of efforts and appeals, the Cardinal of Saigon, in an interview with
AsiaNews, said "the authorities are concerned about the problem and warned
that this was leading us towards a disaster. Several Catholic organizations and
have found different ways to
help women not to resort to abortion. But now a new evil has appeared. We find
more and more abandoned babies. There are religious and secular organizations
that attempt to remedy the destructive consequence of a 'culture of death'. But
we still need a general mobilization. All elements of society must work
together, to look at a new way of life. "
Finally,
the hope of a papal visit to Vietnam in the near future. The
Cardinal of Saigon says he "expressed this hope at least twice, first to
John Paul II. He asked me how the Communists and China looked at it. The second
time I spoke to Pope Benedict XVI. I told him a visit would
bring greater stability and hope. He raised his hands to heaven and asked me to
pray and trust in the designs of Providence". The
conclave, which begins today, is the first step towards a possible future
apostolic journey to the Asian nation.
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14/04/2005
