Fr Nguyen, who left Vietnam 23 years ago, said that after seizing power in 1945, the communists tried for about the next 30 years to destroy the Church there.
Churches were destroyed, bishops were jailed and Catholic schools were closed.
One of the things the communists take advantage of, Fr Nguyen said, is the power and authority that the people see in the role of priests and bishops.
“The people, the Catholics, they listen to the bishops and the priests. If you have a bishop with you, all the people will follow you, so it’s easy.”
A couple of years ago, Fr Nguyen said, an Auckland priest holidayed in Vietnam and after his return to New Zealand, he spoke to Fr Nguyen about meeting a priest in a cathedral there.
“He said, ‘Andrew, I got in touch with the priest, and he’s a really holy man’, and I asked him: ‘What’s his name’?”
“He’s a Communist Party member, and he’s the most powerful man in Vietnam over the Church.”
It’s very sad, Fr Nguyen said. “But the Catholics have a very strong faith. They believe in God, they believe in the teaching of the Church.”
Catholics make up about 10 per cent of the population, he said — about 8-9 million among a total population of about 90 million.