US embassy cable - 05VATICAN454

C O N F I D E N T I A L  VATICAN 000454 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y  (ADDING TAGS) 
DEPT FOR EUR/ WE JAN LEVIN, AND EAP/BCLTV; 
DEPT FOR DRL/IRF JOHN ADAMS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  3/2/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, VT, VM, KIRF 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: JESUIT OFFICIAL SEES POSITIVE SIGNS FOR RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM, RELUCTANCE TO LAUNCH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS 
 
REF: VATICAN 00142 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: D. Brent Hardt, Charge d'Affaires, EXEC, STATE. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  (C) The Jesuit Curial Official responsible for Asia, Father 
Joseph Doan, told Emboffs recently that, despite Vietnam's 
recently floated desire to establish full diplomatic relations 
with the Holy See, he doubted the GOVN would do so until China 
first took that step.  Despite this hurdle, Doan said religious 
orders enjoy greater leeway in training clergy in Vietnam than 
is the case for those studying to be diocesan priests.  Still 
barred from engaging in secondary schooling -- their traditional 
educational focus -- Jesuits in Vietnam were working in other 
ways to "pass on the faith."  For example, recent initiatives in 
healthcare undertaken by religious workers provided an opening 
for the Church to become more involved in the public sphere. 
Doan sees personal relationship building as the key to improving 
relations between the Catholic Church and the Vietnamese 
Government, a process he hopes will eventually lead to greater 
religious freedom.  End Summary. 
 
----------------- 
Waiting for China 
----------------- 
 
2.  (C) Vietnamese Father Joseph Doan, the East Asian Regional 
Assistant at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, emphasized in a recent 
meeting with Poloffs that, while Vietnam seeks the international 
legitimacy that would come with the establishment of diplomatic 
relations with The Holy See, it would be hesitant to take that 
step before "big brother" China did so.  On religious freedom, 
Doan maintained, Vietnam follows China's lead.  As evidence, he 
pointed to the similarity in the new regulations on religious 
freedom promulgated in both countries:  in both instances the 
regulations contain 48 articles and much the same substance. 
Despite similarities, Doan believes the Catholic Church in 
Vietnam is in a better position than in China Church due to the 
"frank dialogue" the Vietnamese bishops engage in with the GOVN 
government. 
 
----------------------------------- 
An Easier Road for Religious Orders 
----------------------------------- 
 
3. (SBU)  Discussing religious freedom for clergy in Vietnam, 
Doan emphasized that it was easier to become a religious priest 
in Vietnam (a member of a religious order) than a diocesan 
priest.  While applicants to diocesan seminaries have long waits 
to receive government approval for their studies (in fact, a 
high percentage never receive such permission), Doan noted that 
would-be priests can begin studying right away at Jesuit 
novitiates.  "We don't have to submit student lists to the 
government," Doan explained.  In later stages of training, the 
Jesuits and other orders active in Vietnam such as the 
Dominicans, Franciscans and Redemptorists do have to submit 
student lists to authorities for approval, but apparently do so 
with less obstruction by the government.  Doan claimed that the 
required final government approval of the ordination of all 
priests did not have a significant impact on religious orders. 
 
------------------- 
Elite Kindergartens 
------------------- 
 
4. (C) Doan said that, due to the government's monopoly on 
secondary education, the Jesuits in Vietnam had only been 
permitted to open kindergartens.  He mentioned a prestigious 
kindergarten in Phu Bai affiliated with the Jesuits and run by 
his cousin, a member of a female religious order.  Doan jokes 
with her that she is the "most powerful woman in town" because 
many children of the city's elites attend the school.  Barred 
from their traditional focus on secondary and higher education, 
Doan said the Jesuits "simply focus on passing on the faith as 
best we can." 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Healthcare: Church Doing what Government Won't 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
 
5. (C) One new focus of activity for Catholic religious workers 
has been in healthcare.  Doan said that women religious are 
running many dispensaries across Vietnam and several palliative 
care programs for HIV/AIDS patients.  He added that the 
government of Vietnam had requested 150 religious workers to 
assist with HIV/AIDS programs in the highlands, to join 30 who 
are already working there.  According to Doan, the government of 
Vietnam is all too happy to allow religious workers to deal with 
patients it would prefer to avoid, such as lepers and those with 
HIV/AIDS.  In addition to fulfilling the Church's goal of caring 
for those in need, Doan said such efforts provided an opening 
for the Church to become more involved generally in the public 
sphere -- an important step in gaining greater societal and 
governmental acceptance. 
 
--------------------------- 
Doan's "Mission Impossible" 
--------------------------- 
 
6. (C) Doan spent nine years in Vietnamese jails and labor camps 
after having been arrested in 1981 as a Catholic priest.  Still, 
he has been able to find a way to deal effectively with the 
Communist authorities.  He insisted that it was possible to 
build trust with the authorities by establishing personal 
relationships and moving slowly and carefully.  Illustrating 
this, Doan (protect) pointed out that as Jesuit Provincial in 
Vietnam he often had to approach government officials to secure 
permits for seminary students to study overseas.  He recounted 
trying to get to know the responsible officials, little by 
little.  At first they were obstructionist, but after they got 
to know him, they became helpful, eventually coaching him on how 
best to approach the application process to get the most 
advantageous permit for the student.  When asked how he could 
work with the Vietnamese government after his painful 
experiences, Doan just shrugged and smiled.  It is my "mission 
impossible," he said.  "We hope that by building individual 
relationships between the Church and the government, we can 
establish greater trust."  Doan remains hopeful that this trust 
will eventually lead to greater religious freedom in Vietnam. 
 
HARDT 
 
 
NNNN