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No. 3100. Perth, Thursday, August 1, 1963•
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"LABEL" ON GOVERNMENT UNTRUE By Father Patrick O'Connor, S.S.C.
SAIGON.—Military court proceedings here have shown that Catholics enjoy no immunity in Vietnam under President Ngo dinh Diem, whose government has been labled "Catholic dominated" in the foreign press during the B uddhist controversy. Catholics suspected of plotting against the government were arrested and tried like other accused persons. One Catholic lieutenant was sentenced to ten years' hard labour on charges of complicity in the attempted coup of November, 1960. A Catholic civilian was sentenced to six years' solitary confinement. There were at least six Catholics among 80 military and civilians brought to trial, of whom 44, including four Catholics, were acquitted. To be a Catholic in Vietnam is no guarantee of government favour. To be a Buddhist or any kind of non-Catholic is no guarantee of government disfavour. What the government wants Is support. It reacts against e very sort of opposition, whether it comes from a Catholic, a non-Christian, a f ormer supporter or a family connection. Catholicism is certainly not the dominant influence in government policy, in spite of some journalists' obsession with the President's religion. Some foreign observers do not realise that years before they ever saw Vietnam, Catholics, including Catholie priests, suffered penalties because they opposed or criticised the government. Father Le van Phiem, who had been a supporter of Ngo thrill Diem from 1948 to 1954, sided with opponents of the President in 1956. He was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. He served two and half years of the sentence.
NOT DOMINANT
Father Peter Vu dinh Trac edited a weekly paper called Duong Song (Road of Life). Which circulated among northern Catholic refugees in Saigon. It was founded with the aid of Catholic Relief SerrIces-N.C.W.C. After an attempt had been made on rresident Ngo dinh Diem's life in 1957, Father Trac asked his readers to pray for the President so that the Confidence and enthusiasm Of 195455 might be restored. For that implied criticism he was given a suspended sentence of 18 months in Prison and his paper was suppressed.
H AD TO LEAVE
In 1959, Father John B. Ho an Vui, parish priest of the cathedral, Saigon, said in a s er m o n that Catholics should vote candidates only for honest for the National Assembly, who would have the country's interest and not their salaries at heart. A high government official
was in the congregation. He reported the priest to the authorities. Father Vui had to leave the cathedral and take a parish in the country. Next year he was one of the signatories of an open lett. to the President. Alter thc attempted coup of November. 1960, he felt so unsafe that he fled the country. He is now living abroad, chaplain to a convent. Catholic foreign missionaries in Vietnam are given residence permits for only one year at a time. They are required by law to pay the same yearly tax of 1,000 piastres (about £A6) each that other foreign residents such as businessmen have to pay. Missionaries may apply for exemption, which some receive. But the majority — unsalaried priests. Brothers and Sisters, some of them working under great difficulties — have to pay the tax. Fifty per cent of Vietnamese Catholic seminarians who have their higher sec. ondary school diploma must do military service for an indefinite-period. Thus there are now about sixty senior seminarians serving as of Continued P3.
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A fter his election Pope Paul VI gave an audience t o Australians in Rome with Cardinal Gilroy. On the right nearest front is Father Michael Keating who was ordained last December for the Archdiocese.
PARISH POST WOULD HELP PRIESTS
LONDON.— The post of parish registrar has been created by the Newman Demographic Survey, a body established here ten years ago by the Newman Association to use statistics in the Church's apostolate. He is expected to become the key man in the Parish Census Service, which the survey has already in operation and which has already been used by a number of parish priests. The parish registrar, says a survey report, should preferably live in another parish. Under the direction of the parish priest, his job would be to deal with all the routine clerical work on the records, leaving the clergy Ir ee to concentrate on priestly duties. The survey is arranging training conferences f o r these registrars, not only for lay men and women nominated by parish priests but also for those who wish to be trained and selected for the survey's panel of registrars.
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The first training conference was held in London on July 27 and 28. "The service of a parish registrar," said a circular which announced the conference, "should make it possible for the parish to have comprehensive, upto-date parishioner records without involving the parish priest in time-consuming clerical work and without the irritation of frequent outdoor (door-to-door) censuses. "The canonically secret registers are not involved, but to avoid any possibility of social embarrassment the registrar should ordinarily live in another parish, visiting the parish where he acts as registrar at regular intervals."
*
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four states Will Compete In festival Australian education and theatre history will be made - in Perth in a few weeks' time when the First National Catholic Schools' Drama Festival, organised by the Perth Therry Society, opens at the Assembly Hall on August 31. This undertaking will "Riders to the Sea," by J. life of Australians—especibring together the winning M. Synge, produced by Mrs. ally young Australians. Howschools of the various State Wilkinson (Victoria does ever, a lot more financial Catholic Schools' Drama not yet have a Catholic help is still needed. Festivals. Donations will be grateDrama Festival, and Our It is believed to he an Lady of Sion Convent has fully accepted and may be been specially invited to re- sent to: The Festival SecreAustralian "first." present the Catholic schools tary, First National Catholic In 1961. the Therry Society of the State). Schools' Drama Festival, 24 sponsored the first Western Woodroyd St., Mt. Lawley, South Australia: Mount Australian Catholic Schools' Carmel Girls' School, Alber- W.A. Drama Festival with 12 ton, "Gild the Mask Again," schools participating. by T. B. Morris. produced Shortly afterwards the by the Sisters. Genesian Theatre in Sydney New South Wales: St. organised a similar enterprise, and the following year Ignatius' College, Riverview, the Adelaide Therry Society "Cox and Box," by Sir Arthur Sullivan and F: C. took up the idea. * THE NUMBER of At the conclusion of the B ur nar d, produced by Australian Catholics 1961 Western Australian Fes- Messrs. B. Mott. and M. I rose by more than Morrow. tival, it was announced that 157.000, according to the First National Catholic The young people, with the Church's new Schools Drama Festival their producers, will arrive Offielal Year Book would be staged in Perth in in Perth by air on Thursday, for 1963-64 recently 1964. August 29. They will be released. given free accommodation It is now one year ahead The Catholic population. by their hosts in Western of schedule. the book shows, in 1962 Australia. was 2,325,647 as against The organisers are pleased After the Festival, the 2.168.517 in 1961—a gain that the First National Festiwinning play will be teleof 157,130 for the year. val should be held in Perth, The total number of where the idea was born vised by TVW7. children attending Cathothree years ago. The cost of this venture ic schools throughout The programme is as folwill be a heavy financial Australia in 1962 was lows : drain on the resources of 442,272 as against 437,356 Western Australia: St. the 'Merry Society. A goodly in 1961. Mary's Convent, Leeclerville, sum has already been donThe Year Book shows "The Ugly Duckling," by ated by theatre-lovers and the Catholic population others impressed by the A. A. Milne, produced by of New Zealand as being lead which Catholic educaPeter Cole. 314,655. tion is giving to those who Victoria: Our Lady of Sion Convent, Box Hill, aim to enrich the cultural
„.. . . . . . . ,. . . . . . . . . FIGURES SHOW RISE
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