Results of implementing Resolution No 25-NQ/TW on religious affairs in Go Cong district of Tien Giang province

11/04/2014

Go Cong town is one of 11 administrative districts of Tien Giang province, with 12 administrative communes located on an area of 10,200.98 ha. Go Cong district has a population of about 100,000 people belonging to Kinh and Chinese ethnicity who mainly rely on agricultural products and small businesses for their daily livings. Religious followers in Go Cong district makes up 13.96% of the total population in the locality.

Religious followers in the district belong to Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Caodaism and Vietnam Pure-land Buddhist Association, with a total of 78 dignitaries, 234 clergymen/clergywomen and deacons, more specifically:   

Catholicism: 1,850 followers with 03 establishments

Protestantism: 1,600 followers with one 01 chapter and 01 congregation

Buddhism: 5,666 followers with 23 establishments

Vietnam Pure-land Buddhist Association: 230 followers with 01 establishment

Caodaism (Caodai Tay Ninh Church, Caodai Correction Path Church and Caodai Ante-Creation Church): 5,015 and 8 establishments.

Results of ten years implementing Resolution No 25-NQ/TW on religious affairs:

Implementation planning and dissemination work:

To implement Resolution No 25-NQ/TW at the 7th plenum of the 9th Party Central Committee dated March 12, 2003 on religious affairs, the district’s Party Committee approved Plan No 36-KH.TU dated May 05, 2003 and Action Program No 07-CTr/TU dated May 30, 2003 for planning and developing implementing guidelines. There have been 52 internal disseminating meetings and workshops held by different Offices and Divisions for 2,210 participants, 12 meetings organized for 360 religious dignitaries and followers, and other 1,820 disseminating meetings held for about 70,210 participants from societies and people masses.

Religious law implementing work:

To implement Resolution No 25-NQ/TW of the 9th Party Central Committee on religious affairs, the district’s Party Committee instructed its home affairs division to coordinate with other offices and divisions to disseminate religious legal documents that have been enacted in lines with the Resolution No 25-NQ/TW. These legal documents include the Ordinance on Belief and Religion, Decree 22/2005/ND-CP dated March 1, 2014 guiding the implementation of several articles in the Ordinance on Belief and Religion, Decree No. 92/2012/ND-CP dated 11/8/2012 of the Government detailing and providing measures for implementation of the Ordinance on Belief and Religion, Directive 01/2005/CT-TTg dated February 4, 2005 on some tasks regarding Protestantism, Instruction No. 1940/CT-TTg dated December 31, 2008 of the Prime Minister on religion-related housing and land, and Circular No.01/2013/TT-BNV dated March 25th, 2013 of Ministry of Home Affairs on issuing and guiding the use of forms of administrative procedures in the field of belief and religion. Results of circulating these legal documents include 42 disseminating meetings held for 2,940 general people, 01 disseminating conference organized for 123 participants who are chiefs and deputy chiefs of villages, 03 religious laws training workshops set up for 180 key officials of commune-level authorities, sending officials to training conferences held by the provincial Religious Affairs Committee (45 officials) and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (9 officials).

The functional bodies of Go Cong district have collaborated to grant the land use right certificate to 24/36 religious establishments with a total area of 81,865 m2.

During ten years implementing the Resolution 25 of the Central Party Committee, the local authorities of Go Cong district have handled 491 religion-related matters, transferred 45 applications to the provincial-level administration for solutions, approved 12 religious tenets training courses for 434 religious participants and supported building and upgrading 56 worshipping facilities, registered the transfer of 24 religious personnel, ordainment of 44 dignitaries and appointment of 21 dignitaries.

Work of encouraging and mobilizing religious dignitaries and followers to implement Party’s policies and State’s laws

As one of key tasks of religious affairs, Go Cong district authorities have attached its importance to mobilize and encourage religious dignitaries and followers to implement State’s policies and laws, contributing to socio-economic development, security and order in the locality. The Farmer Association has enlisted 2,840 religious members to its total number of 16,707 members; the Women Union has registered 2,019 religious members in its total number of 16,535 members…

Go Cong district’s Party Committee, authorities and mass organizations have also regularly attended important religious events and festivals in the locality, and visited religious dignitaries on occasion of national events, such as the traditional New Year festival… These activities have contributed to strengthen contacts and foster close relations between local officials and religious dignitaries and followers.

As a result of the mass mobilizing work, religious dignitaries and organizations have encouraged followers to actively participate in movements for socio-economic development, ensuring of public security and order, and building advanced cultural styles in residential areas. Specifically, religious dignitaries and followers in the locality have raised a sum of about 23 billion VND for humanitarian activities. Religious dignitaries in the locality have also proactively taken part in the social management and administration at district and commune levels, including joining the district People’s Council (03 dignitaries), the commune-level People’s Council (05 dignitaries), the district Fatherland Committee (04 dignitaries)…

 Organizational work for state administration on religious affairs

The organization and personnel of the state administration on religious affairs in Go Cong district have been reorganized and strengthened in compliance with Decree 14/2008/ND-CP dated February 4, 2008 on the organization of functioning bodies under the district-level authorities. Accordingly, a deputy head of Home Affairs Division has been in charge of the district’s religious affairs, while a vice chairman of the commune-level People’s Committee has been held responsible for religious affairs in each commune.

 At the conference held on October 17, 2014 to review the ten-year implementation of Resolution No 25-NQ/TW on religious affairs approved at the 7th plenum of the 9th Party Central Committee, Go Cong district People’s Committee awarded a certificate of merit to 5 organizations and 6 individuals for their outstanding achievements in implementing Resolution No 25-NQ/TW, contributing to meet religious needs of religious people in the locality and ensure religious practices conducted in compliance with State’s policies and laws.

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