From the International Herald Tribune,
news of meetings between ranking Vietnamese government officials and Pope Benedict. That's not standard procedure for Communist nations, as History 386 students know...things are changing there. A "perestroika," maybe?
4 comments:
For some reason, I don't think of Vietnam communism in the same way that I think of Soviet, Chinese or Cuban communism. Maybe because I've been aware of world events only in the past few years or perhaps because Vietnam hasn't been in the news much.
This sounds like a win-win for all, especially if this garners more economic support for the Vietnamese people.
Well, Vietnam was kind of off to the side, removed from the Big Events in the Big Arenas--Europe and China. It was also like Yugoslav Communism, somewhat indebted to the Russians and Chinese, but mostly evolving according to its own conditions and circumstances. Also, of course, Ho and Tito won their own respective war, led their own people in the toughest fights...they were independent types, unlike the toadies and flunkies installed by the Sovs in the E. European Communist regimes. The interesting thing is that Communism there, although altered, survived the collapse of the Big Brother USSR. That means there is genuine commitment to, and belief in, its ideals. There wasn't a whole lot of either at the end in the Twilight Zone...
maybe its a french influence from the days of the south and benedict is trying to do something to repair his image and mis speakings in the last couple of months
yes, that's right, there's a long history with the Catholic church dating from the French colonial era. Nowadays, here in the US, where practically no Americans are entering the seminary, Vietnamese-Americans are sending more of their sons than almost anyone else. It would be a nice development if Vietnamese citizens who wanted to serve the church were allowed to do so in their home country. There is no endemic conflict between God and Caesar, no matter what the leadership says--we've done fine with it for a couple of centuries.
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