US embassy cable - 04HOCHIMINHCITY255

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000255 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL/IRF, INR/B 
HANOI FOR CDC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, PGOV, PREL, KIRF, VM, HIV/AIDS, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: HO CHI MINH CITY OPENS THE DOOR TO CATHOLIC CHARITABLE 
WORK IN HIV/AIDS CARE 
 
REF:  A)  HCMC 0075    B) HCMC 0153    C) 02 HCMC 0963    D) 03 
HANOI 1257 
 
1. (SBU) In a small dinner on March 1 at his 100-year-old 
residence, Cardinal Pham Minh Man, Archbishop of HCMC, told the 
Consul General that he had just received a letter from Ho Chi Minh 
City authorities seeking assistance in dealing with the growing 
HIV/AIDS problem.  The letter, signed by the Director of the HCMC 
Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (DOLISA), asked 
the Cardinal to provide 150 nuns to staff four HIV/AIDS treatment 
centers.  The Cardinal was clearly pleased at this sudden 
softening of the government's stance on social welfare activities, 
but planned to approach the DOLISA proposal with caution, 
particularly concerning the matter of training.  In meetings with 
several staffdels and other U.S. visitors over the past few 
months, the Cardinal had lamented government limitations on 
charitable works, matters he felt the Church should be able to 
manage on its own.  He had said it was sometimes easier for 
Catholics to simply take on charitable activities than to have the 
Church officially seek permission.  One example he had provided to 
Staffdel McCormick in January was that of an HIV/AIDS hospice run 
by nuns in Cu Chi District (ref A).  While he had helped the nuns 
acquire a vehicle, he was not otherwise officially involved. 
(Note:  During one of Staffdel McCormick's other meetings in HCMC, 
HIV/AIDS officials had actually mentioned the hospice as a 
positive development.  End note.) 
 
2.  (SBU) In a steady series of meetings with USG visitors since 
his elevation to Cardinal in September 2003, Cardinal Man had been 
generally positive on the growth of the church - approximately 
7000 new converts each year since 1998.  Government-imposed 
restrictions on the numbers of seminarians and priests remained a 
primary concern, as evidenced by the fact that only 19 seminarians 
would be graduating from the seminary this year to fill over 50 
vacancies in the Achdiocese, while another 250 young men waited 
for places in an incoming class.  Confiscated properties were 
another item high on the agenda, as the Cardinal announced his 
intention to continue seeking the return of former churches, 
schools, and other buildings.  He did not expect the GVN to return 
all of the 200 properties confiscated in the years since 1975, but 
expressed resentment that in some cases the GVN was still 
utilizing properties it had officially returned to the Church. 
The Cardinal told the Consul General over dinner that he was 
excited at the prospect of regaining an old HCMC seminary property 
in June 2004, and said he was laying the groundwork for the 
government to allow the building to be converted into a "museum of 
(Catholic) faith." 
 
3. (SBU) Meeting with Staffdel Eikenberg in January, Cardinal Man 
said he had repeatedly told the GVN that limited freedom was not 
true freedom and that freedom of religion meant more than just 
going to church.  He stressed the need to find those who were 
blocking positive change within the Communist Party and help them 
overcome their objections.  Still, he did not blame national 
policies for the repression, but rather "the system".  He thought 
that some Communists in the South, at least, were good people who 
would like to make changes but were not part of the system. 
Others, however, feared losing power and authority if the people 
were allowed more freedom.  He noted that many Communist cadre 
children were enrolled in a popular Catholic kindergarten run by 
nuns in HCMC, and hoped those children would teach their parents 
about religion.  He also saw the increase in wealth and contact 
with the outside world as positive changes in Vietnam, which would 
stimulate change.  Cardinal Man expressed his appreciation to 
several visitors for the support he had received from the 
Consulate General and the USG. 
 
4. (SBU) Cardinal Man also spoke of reconciliation and dialogue 
with the GVN during his meeting with a delegation from the U.S. 
Commission on International Religious Freedom (CIRFDEL) in January 
(ref B).  While he said there were differences of opinion within 
the Catholic community on how much to accommodate the GVN, he 
thought very few would support the use of force to achieve their 
objectives.  To demonstrate the many small steps religious groups 
could take to protect their interests, he mentioned a meeting he 
had organized to discuss the Fatherland Front's patriotic 
association for priests.  After warning the priests in his 
Archdiocese of the dangers of getting involved in political 
activities of any sort without permission from their bishops, many 
priests had left the fledgling group.  In an interesting aside, he 
advised the CIRFDEL to focus on China, noting that changes in 
China would bring change to Vietnam as well.  The Cardinal told 
the group he foresaw a negative reaction from the GVN to Country 
of Particular Concern (CPC) designation in the short-term, but 
thought it might be beneficial in the long-term.  (Note:  Well- 
known activist and Redemptorist priest, Father Chan Tin, 
criticized the Cardinal in his own meeting with the CIRFDEL for 
not supporting Father Ly and for sending out a pastoral letter 
warning of "false prophets," but thought the Cardinal had recently 
started to work harder for religious freedom.  End note.) 
 
5. (SBU) The Cardinal recounted for Staffdel McCormick his meeting 
in late December 2003 with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan.  He 
said he had utilized the meeting to encourage the GVN to ensure 
that the new law on religion authorized religious groups to open 
schools and take a more active role in combating "social evils." 
He was clearly dissatisfied with the present system of "asking and 
receiving," but did not seem hopeful the Church would be given the 
green light to engage freely in charitable works in any new 
legislation.  Man also briefed Staffdel McCormick on meetings in 
the U.S. in September 2003 with Catholic leaders from several 
educational institutions, including Boston College and Loyola 
University of Chicago, to discuss overseas training opportunities. 
On the night of the Consul General's dinner, a Vice President of 
Boston College happened to be visiting as well, exploring 
opportunities for sponsoring nuns to receive nursing training in 
the U.S.  The Cardinal also introduced the Consul General to two 
priests whom he hoped to send to the U.S. for studies related to 
pastoral music. 
 
6. (SBU) Note:  Cardinal Pham Minh Man received his MBA from 
Loyola Marymount University in 1971.  Before his investiture as 
Archbishop of HCMC in April 1998, he served as the Bishop of My 
Tho Diocese in the Mekong Delta.  The Vatican appointed Archbishop 
Man to the rank of Cardinal on September 28, 2003, and he was 
officially elevated in Rome on October 21.  Then-Bishop Man was a 
compromise choice for HCMC Archbishop back in 1998, when the 
Vatican attempted to appoint the Bishop of Phan Thiet, Huynh Van 
Nghi, as Apostolic Administrator to the city over the objections 
of the GVN, which insisted on Father Huynh Cong Minh, one of the 
founders of the Patriotic Committee for Catholic Solidarity.  The 
GVN may have believed that the Vatican was trying to appoint 
Bishop Nghi as Apostolic Administrator to allow them to name 
exiled priest Nguyen Van Thuan (the now-deceased Cardinal Francis 
Xavier Thuan -- reftel C) as Archbishop in absentia.  End note. 
 
7. (SBU) COMMENT:  Cardinal Man is generally willing to speak 
openly about Church issues, his dealings with the GVN, and his 
assessment of the situation for Catholics in Vietnam.  While he 
uses coded language on occasion, his often pointed remarks make 
clear his dissatisfaction with GVN controls on the social and 
educational activities of the Church.  For now, at least, it does 
not appear that any sense of compromise with the GVN over his 
recent elevation  has led him to temper his views, or his 
willingness to discuss them (reftel D).  His measured response to 
the request from the city to take on a very visible charitable 
function is in keeping with his general approach, but this is 
clearly a major step forward for the Church in HCMC under his 
stewardship.  He was clearly pleased to have been "invited" to 
provide assistance, but he also noted that providing care for 
HIV/AIDS patients was something "nobody else really wanted to do." 
Should the Cardinal decide to provide the "nunpower" for this 
project, Post will work with Embassy CDC Office to find training 
opportunities to offer him and the city. 
YAMAUCHI