For engaging Catholics in the all-people defense of the Fatherland, Dong Nai provincial Military Command has encouraged Catholic dignitaries to promote their role for maintenance of security and strengthening of social cohesion in the locality.

During the Sunday preaching held on July 24 at Ha Noi Parish in the province’s Trang Bom District, Head of the parish priest Tạ Duy Tuyền took the chance to urge followers to make practical contributions for ensuring security and order in the local commune. According to Vice Chairman of Trang Bom District People’s Committee Lê Kim Bằng, the management board of the parish has regularly done so in collaboration with the district authorities and military command for ensuring social and religious activities of followers conducted in accordance with state laws and religious rules. 

To implement the current strategy for national defense, Dong Nai provincial Military Command has proactively and closely collaborated with the provincial Committee for Religious Affairs for engaging followers of religions to the cause of the all-people national defense.

According to Colonel Lê Quang Thịnh, Deputy Commander of the provincial Military Command, there have been 122 training courses on knowledge of security and defense held in the province, with the participation of about 17,000 dignitaries of religions and 68 Catholic students at the Saint Joseph seminary of Xuan Loc. In addition, hundreds of exchange meetings between local officials and religious dignitaries and deacons have been set up for strengthening people-army relation.

Priest Nguyễn Việt Tiến, Vice Chairman of the Committee of Solidarity of Catholics in Thong Nhat district shared that, for the past years, religious dignitaries have well coordinated with local authorities for dissemination of state laws on military service, militia force and military reserves, as well as encouraged thousands of religious youth to be recruited for the cause of national defense. “We’re clearly aware of our responsibility in closely coordinating with concerning authorities to encourage youth to fulfill their duty to the Mother land”, he said. 

The local militia force currently has many followers of religions. This self-defense force has to join the annual training and drill organized by the army and local military command. However busy, religious members of the militia have voluntarily participated in all of these military trainings.

Head of the military command in Thong Nhat District’s Gia Tan 1 Commune Vũ Ngọc Hưng informed that religious dignitaries and clergy in the commune have proactively encouraged their relatives and followers to join the local self-defense force.

Catholic Vũ Đình Nghĩa from Gia Tan 1 Commune’s  Doc Mo 2 village also shared “We understand that well-being, stability and fulfillment of religious duties and social rights could be achieved only when security and order is maintained”. “So, religious youth have also to well perform civic duties”, he added. 

In the event of China’s illegal deployment of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 (HD 981) to Vietnamese waters in the East Vietnam Sea in 2014, Bishop of Xuan Loc Diocese has sent a letter to encouraging local Catholic to show patriotism with prudence and in proper manners.

According to Vice Chairman of Dong Nai provincial Committee for Religious Affairs, the close collaboration between various local department and agencies and religious dignitaries and organizations in the dissemination work of state policies and laws has practically contributed to encourage and mobilize followers of religions for their engagement in the all-people protection of nation security and defense.

Q.N. (qdnd.vn)