Thousands of Vietnamese Catholics Tuesday celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving in Vietnam's largest city with the newest cardinal appointed by the Vatican and approved by the communist government.
Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, 69, made his hometown debut wearing the red cap of his new appointment to a capacity crowd of more than 1,500 at the French colonial-era Notre Dame cathedral that was filled with cheers and applause.
Man, appointed by Pope John Paul in late September, joins one other Vietnamese cardinal, 84-year-old Pham Dinh Tung, who lives in retirement in the capital city, Hanoi.
Episcopal appointments in Vietnam are usually approved by the government beforehand from a list presented by the Vatican.
Hanoi's nod for the elevation of Man is a sign of its warming ties with the Vatican despite a lack of diplomatic relations. Catholicism, which was spread in Vietnam by the French, was viewed with suspicion because of its ties with the colonial power.
Some Catholic priests, including imprisoned Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, have also angered Hanoi by criticizing state controls on church operations.
Several of the congregants were in wheelchairs and the audience, which overflowed into the street, also included U.S. Cardinal Bernard Law from Boston, a deputy head of the South Korean Catholic church and local bishops.
Wearing a red cap and tunic, Man was handed a floral garland before entering the cathedral for the two-hour service amid the chiming of church bells and thunderous applause.
"The cardinal position which I have undertaken is the joy of the people of God and of the Vietnam nation," Man told the Mass in Vietnamese.
"I wish to send to all members of my family thanks," Man said to the service that was relayed on loudspeakers to those outside.
TEN PERCENT CATHOLIC
About 10 percent of the seven million people who live in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, are Catholic.
The ceremony took place at the same venue where more than five years ago Man was installed as archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City's archdiocese.
Local believers were enthused.
Luciana Nguyen Thi Nu, a 48-year-old nun, told Reuters Television: "This is very important, a turn, a step forward that continues previous steps in the church. But now it is more important as to meet the demand from our diocese."
Another Vietnamese Catholic, Nguyen Dang Quang, 48, said it was a "great honor" to be part of the Mass.
The last time a cardinal was inaugurated in Vietnam was in 1994.
Vietnam, which has eight million Catholics, the second biggest Catholic community in Asia after the Philippines, recognizes six religions but insists on the right to review appointments, something the Vatican opposes.
Last year, Vietnamese Cardinal Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan died in Rome after living for years in exile. The 74-year-old cleric, imprisoned for 13 years in his homeland after the 1975 communist takeover of the south, had been considered a possible future pope.