Half a million Vietnamese Catholics march against Communist persecution

China is not the only country where even today, in the Year of Our Lord 2009, there are Christian martyrs. (See Walt's blog, July 15th.) China's "good neighbour" Vietnam, also a Communist dictatorship, has suffered in like measure as the Chinese. Church lands and buildings have been seized, religious and lay Catholics have been arrested, tortured, imprisoned and even killed for their persistence in keeping the Faith.

AsiaNews reports that on Sunday, while millions of good western Catholics showed their gratitude to God and His Blessed Mother by staying in bed or playing a round of golf, over 500,000 Vietnamese Catholics took to the streets of their cities to protest against police violence and the July 20th attack on hundreds of faithful at the ruins of Tam Toa church.

About 170 priests and 420 religious led the peaceful protests that took place simultaneously in yesterday morning, at various locations in the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. They demanded the immediate release of the faithful who were beaten and arrested by Communist security forces at Tam Toa.

Although police ordered people not to take part in the procession, the faithful marched on, creating an event that some people are calling the greatest religious demonstrations ever to take place in Vietnam.

Good Catholic friends, please keep in your prayers the faithful of these seemingly faraway places. Our Lady of Fatima warned us 92 years ago that the errors of Communism would spread throughout the world if Her Message was not heeded, and we see in our own time the fulfillment of Her prophecy.