Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: August 23, 2025
Today our prayers are for a Catholic community in Vietnam, whose church service was recently raided.
On the evening of 11 August, a group of around 20 Catholics, including children, were celebrating Mass. They were meeting in a home in the village of Bình Khang, in the northern province of Thái Nguyn.
Without warning, the electricity was abruptly cut off. Police officers and local authorities then entered the house and demanded that everyone stop the service.
The priest reported that three people were forcibly taken to the local police station, including the owner of the house and the leader of the local Catholic community.
‘We could not stop them,’ he said.
What’s more, the priest was prevented from accessing the place where his parishioners were being detained and interviewed. Thankfully they were released without charge, and the police later rang the priest to apologise.
Why did the authorities disrupt the service?
The reasons for the raid are currently unclear. However, in one video a local official’s voice can be heard questioning people about their place of origin.
Local authorities in Vietnam often refuse to authorise religious activities on the grounds that the participants do not belong to their jurisdiction.
Please pray:
- That God would help this Catholic community to recover from this ordeal, and protect them from further targeting.
- That local authorities would respect everyone’s right to practise the religion or belief of their choice – safely and without fear.
- That the Lord would work in the hearts of the Vietnamese authorities at every level, that they would champion freedom and justice for all.