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8/7/1966 - Catholicism as a Political Force by Takashi Oka

INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS NOT FOR PUBLICATION Caholieis Political Force Karuizawa Nagano Japan August Mr Ro H Nolte Institute Current World Affairs Madison Avenue New York N Y Dear Mr Nolte South Vietnam million Roman Catholics Buddhists armed forces country three political forces No South Vietnamese government without support least these three forceS To stability regime needs active participation three No South Vietnamese government since overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem three years achieved therefore government proved stable The Nguyen Khanh regime essentially military govern enjoying outset degree Buddhist Catholic other civilian participation When Khanh announced Vung Tau charter giving himself dictatorial powers Buddhists demonstrated against charter Catholics demonstrated against government spineless attitude towards Buddhists The combination these demonstrations spelled anarchy regime The Tran Van Huong civilian government faced Buddhist hostility outset But Buddhists alone bring govern merit It armed forces delivered grace In atmosphere armed forces themselves political strength overthrow Huong although obviously physical strength The displacement civilian government military would immediately roused civilian disorders unless military acted collusion understanding major civilian groups Buddhists Catholics The Phan Huy Quat government partly because Catholic demonstrations against Again Catholics themselves T0 could bring government The armed forces ready willing power Dr Quat saved handln government rather bowing pressure South Vietnam recent political crisis three months Buddhist campaign against Nguyen Van Thieu Nguyen Cae Ky military regime ended failure Buddhists At least today Thieu Ky regime still power crushe Buddhlst inspired rebellion Hue Danang arrested Buddhist generals preparing conduct Sept elections under terms conditions rejecting candidacies alleged Communists those participated Hue Danang rebellion I politics cannot reduced formula least South Vietnam Still think truth Buddhists Catholics brought Khanh Bmfhs armed forces brought Huong Catholics armed forces brought Qu Buddhists themselves could bring Thieu Ky I realize these three forces Buddhists Catholics exactly equal The nature power basically different religions But sitting hereand musing among green hills Karuimawa I Wonaer would happened Thieu Ky regime Catholics common cause Buddhists Impossible reply poles apart And intriguing particularly beginning Buddhist cenfrentationwith Ky Thieu there influential Catholics admittedly minority advecate Even afterte Buddhist defeat June Father Hoamg Quynh believe rabialyanti Bmdhists Supperte Vien Hem Dae charges attacking upcoming Sept elections unfair I suggest Catholic ranks isarray I believe politically cOnscious Catholics perplexing dilemma Tee factors aeknowledgea By Catholics condition dilemma First Catholic community South Vietnam minority comprising about twelve percent total population Numeri Catholics Oao Dai Hoa Hao sects behind Buddhists claim thirds three quarters popularion Buddhists responsive directives Vien Hoa Dao course fewer total Buddhist population country Estimates Buddhist voting strength range Vien Hoa Dao optimistic figure forty percent total voting population twenty twenty percent conceded political analysts Hewever without pertional representation Sept elections Catholics likely Be snowed under exeep localities where constitute clear arity Second Catholic attitude towards Communists known The Catholics themselves Communist victory other Communist group country This attitude riles Buddhists Say Catholics right monopolize Communist label But probably thathe Catholics profound religious convictions actual experience church Communist ruled countries demonstrate incompatibility Communism Catholicism Third Catholics Vietnamese nationalists The Buddhists often accuse having servants French colonialism having opened Frenc conquest Vietnam Some Catholics admit there aspects truth these charges At insist Catholicism established Vietnam years enough religion substantial contribution Vietnamese national lifeo There Catholics strata Vietnamese society imperial family peasant Catholics fought Vietnam They course great numbers their religion especially duringthepersecutionsinitiatedby theEmperornhang One Catholic source estimates church produced O00 martyrs during three centuries Vietnam Given Cathollcs minority given would under communism intolerable given finally Vietnamese patriots What should Catholics Vietnam defeat communists minimum avoid Communist victory This dilemma TO illustrate Cathollcs grappling roblem I would present three different viewpoints moderate rightist leftist Catholic positions But first short excursion history Catholicism Vietnam three hundred years Portuguese Spanish missionaries visited country sixteenth early seventeenth centu Vietnam divided between warring princes Trinh Tonkin Nguyen later became rulers Vietnam Hue Foreigners called Trinh domain Tonkin Nguyen domain Cochinchia In Neapolitan Jesuit Francesco BuZomi landed Tourane Damang found first longterm Catholic mission Cochinchina Twelve years later celebrated French Jesuit Alexandre Rhodes founded Tonkin mission De Rhodes considered founder Catholicism Vie tnamo Fluent Vietnamese spent three years Tonkiu Cochinchina during which solid foundations church He convinced native priesthood native hierarchy representation after representation Rome realized Despite intermittent persecution church flourished there Catholics Tonkin alone In first Vietnamese priests Jean Hue Benoit Hien ordained French bishop Lambert otteo From number native clergy steadily increased until before partition Vietnam there nearly priests times foreign missionaries French interest Catholic missionary effort Vietnam sventeenth century This interest effects fortunate unfortunate Vietnamese Catholics In Pope Alexander VI divided Christianizing world between kingdoms Spain Portugal Vietnam within portion allotted Portugal But early Spanish Portuguese missionaries attempted evangelize Vietnam Neither success until Alexandre Rhodes assigned Tonkin He landed Trinh domains follewlng De Rhodes I Frenchman But because Vietnam within Portuguese sphere missionaries country approved Lisbon De Rhodes Jesuits Vietnam Portuguese As group Portuguese clergy tended conservative unenthusiastic about training native clergy After De Rhodes return Europe Pope Innocent X moved priest advocacy rapid establishment native clergy proposed De Rhodes Vietnam bishep empowered ordain native converts De Rhodes however refused knowing would almost insuperable difficulties Portuguese While visiting France De Rhodes managed interest group devout fellow countrymen Vietnam missionary field Meanwhile Pope Alexander II Innocent successor eager promote missionary efforts directions regardless Portuguese Spanish sensibilities The French clergy officially recommended appointment missionary bishops pious ladies Duchess Aiguillon niece Cardinal Richelieu offered support A Society Foreign Missions founded Pa As De Rhodes feared Portuguese resisted rearded French encroachments their prerogatives whole preect bogged intricate negotiations between Rome Paris Lisbon Eventually French Jesuits appointe V Apostolic bishop Siam As early Christians quarreled merits Paul Apollos Vietnamese Christians split between those converted Jesuits converted other orders between French priests those other countries But French involvement definitely helped cause Catholicism Vietnam For probably missionary T0 initiative Portuguese their conservative appreach evangelization Vietnamese Catholic church would never expanded vigorously solidly On other nineteenth century Vietnam conquered France identification Vietnamese Catholics French missionary effort probably intensified their Catholic cOuntrymen suspicions Bible forerunner sword One other celebrated French Jesuit missionary Pigneau Behaine Bishop Adran contributed these later Vietnamese suspicions Pigneau Behaine cause Empero Gialong unifier Vietnam founder Nguyen dynasty monarch still fugitive princeling named Nguyen Anho He found European mercenaries Anh series crucial battles The bishop before Anh actually ascended imperial throne But emperor never forgot during eighteen years reign favored Catholics conservative mandarins would tolerate Vietnamese believe severe persecutions which began reign Gialong successor motivated conservative Confucianist nationalist ctions against favors shown foreign religion Nguyen dynasty founder These persecutions during which several French missionaries perished helped hasten French political military intervention Vietnam Once French conquest complete Vietnamese Catholics enoye physical security assurance favore daughters colonial overlords atholic educational institutions flourished Catholics favored civil military services At village level however Catholic parishioners their priests almost medieval relsionship The priest flock patriarch mandarin The discipline fervor these village CaSholics remarkable without could hardly survived sanguinary repeated persecutions early Nguyen emperors Two adjoining provinces Tonkin Phat Diem Bui Chu proportion Cath olics To Catholics these provinces belligerently conscious their religion fellow believers other region Vietnam Equally Phat Diem Bul Chu Catholics belligerently nationalistic Vietnamese Phat Diem first diocese Vietnamese bishop onseigneur Joseph Nguyen Ba Tong Bishop Tong appointed after Vietnamese clergy laity repeated representations Rome hierarchy their Some Vietnamese Catholics believe Roman deference Portugal French dislike having Vietnamese bishop direct French priests their country ecleslastlcally politically dependent until twentieth century As matter Bishop Tong considered Vicar Apostolic The Vietnamese episcopacy formally established until after installation Ngo Dinh Diem regime For other reasons Vietnamese pries strongly nationalistic French Bishop Le Huu Tu Vicar Apostolic Phat Diem became Ho Chi counsellors Phat Diem Bui Chu remained officially neutral between French Vietminh until arshal Jean Lattre Tassigny persuaded Rome pressure Bishop Tu formal declaration allegiance French supported Bao Dai regime After installation Ngo Dinh Diem premier American Cathelic church gained increasing political influence Vietnam largely because personal frlenship between Diem Francis Cardinal Spellman Archbishop New York Some Vietnamese Catholics American imfluemce tended emphasize Communist cause reinforce medieval control parish priest flock Yet within Vietnamese Catholic church other imfluences Intellectuals studie France ether West European countries impressed experiments worker prlest movement France They talke revolutlen framing valid Christian answer Communist doctrine class struggle means unchaining proletariat These intellectuals often accused their religionists being Communist disguised Communists Still persevered though still small minority their voice heard increasing respect Sincerely yours Takashi Oka Received New York September