US embassy cable - 05HOCHIMINHCITY1140

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 001140 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, PREL, PGOV, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: Miracle on Dong Khoi Street 
 
1.  Rumors began flying around Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday, 
October 29, that a statue of the Virgin Mary in central Saigon had 
been seen weeping.  The Cardinal's Office told post on October 31 
that the rumor of the "Crying Maria" had been started on Saturday 
afternoon by a young seller of lottery tickets who had noticed a 
white line on the face of the Virgin Mary statue located in the 
plaza in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.  Traveling by grapevine, 
telephone, and text message, the story spread like wildfire, and 
soon people were pouring into the plaza.  Even Buddhists and other 
non-Catholics were fascinated by the story, which quickly became 
the main topic of conversation around town.  Within hours, crowds 
of hundreds, and then thousands, of curiosity seekers and devout 
Catholics flooded in to see the phenomenon for themselves.  Police 
blockaded the surrounding streets, allowing pedestrians free 
access but keeping out all vehicles over the weekend. 
 
2. Although the Cardinal's Office tol us hat it has yet to take 
an official position on the phenomenon, local media quoted a 
several prominent Catholic figures as saying firmly that the 
stories of the miracle were "groundless," and some parish priests 
had told their flocks that no miracle had occurred.  Efforts to 
dampen the spirits of the participants clearly were unsuccessful, 
however, as buses from as far away as Dong Nai, a heavily Catholic 
province adjacent to HCMC, were seen bringing churchgoers to 
venerate Mary's image.  By Monday morning, some of the barricades 
had been removed, but hundreds of the faithful continued to gather 
and pray in front of the statue while police kept a watchful eye. 
(Standing room had shrunk considerably by that time, as dozens of 
gardeners sought to replace the grass, which had been churned into 
mud by the feet of visitors on Sunday.)  Vendors continued doing a 
brisk business selling photos of the statue's face for 3,000- 
10,000 dong, or 19 to 63 cents. 
 
3.  Although some Saigonese remain skeptical about the "miracle" - 
many have pointed out that the "tears" on Mary's face look 
uncannily like water stains -- crowds in front of the cathedral 
have made for a fascinating and touching sight.  Hundreds of the 
faithful continue to softly sing hymns, pray, and recite the Hail 
Mary in unison, while dozens bring flowers and try to touch the 
plinth of the statue - and particularly the large plaque reading 
"Regina Pacis, Ora Pro Nobis" (Queen of Peace, Pray for Us). 
 
4.  Comment: Authorities clearly were made uneasy by the 
spontaneous crowds generated by the rumors of the "Crying Maria" 
(ironically, the post-1975 name of the main street leading up to 
the cathedral is "Dong Khoi", or "General Uprising"), and are 
rumored to have pressured priests into downplaying the phenomenon. 
Similarly, although police have stated that streets around the 
cathedral were blocked "to ensure the safety and security" of 
worshippers, it seems more likely that the barricades were meant 
to discourage visitors.  Every Christmas Eve a million people 
flood the streets of HCMC's District 1, with the cathedral as a 
focal point of the celebrations, yet authorities have never seen 
fit to prevent motorcycles and cars from plowing through the 
crowded streets.  Once a few thousand devout Catholics gathered to 
venerate the Virgin Mary, however, the blockades were thrown up 
very quickly.  It is encouraging to note, however, that there were 
no signs of harassment of those who came to worship: police kept 
tactfully to the outside of the blockade, and the sole interest of 
the guards around the church appeared to be to direct traffic. 
End comment. 
 
WINNICK