Vatican names new archbishop for Hanoi
HANOI - Hanoi's newly named Roman Catholic archbishop has already been running the church's day-to-day-affairs for more than a year to assist ailing Cardinal Pham Dinh Tung, a church spokesman said Monday. Monsignor Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, 53, the bishop of Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces, was named to his new post over the weekend by Pope John Paul II, said Hanoi diocese spokesman Dang Duc Ngan. Kiet has been the chief church administrator since May 2003. Tung, 86, who had been Hanoi's archbishop since 1994, will retain his rank as cardinal, said Ngan. An official ceremony for Kiet will be held March 19 at Hanoi's St. Joseph's Cathedral.
"We have reached agreement with the Vietnamese government, so there's no problem with the appointment," said Ngan. "He has been living in Hanoi for more than a year and everything is going smoothly." Vietnam and the Vatican have had a thorny relationship in the past because the government has insisted on final approval over all church appointments in Vietnam. The two sides currently have no diplomatic ties. The Catholic church has had a shortage of priests in its Vietnam parishes due to government control over the seminaries.
However, both sides have been working to improve relations. In fall 2003, the Vatican appointed Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man as cardinal in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam, after initially being miffed that it had not been advised in advance, approved the elevation, making Man the second cardinal in the country besides Tung. Vietnam has an estimated 6 million Catholics, the second highest number in Southeast Asia after the Philippines.
The country recognizes only a handful of government-sanctioned religions or denominations, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao and Islam.
The Associated Press - February 21, 2005
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