Kimberly Scharfenberger/Cardinal Newman Society
A new era of educational freedom in Vietnam is on its way, as the country’s first Catholic university will officially open in 2016 after several years of negotiation between the Catholic Church and the Vietnamese government.
Pope Francis holds the pastoral staff during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican. In Vietnam, the first Catholic University is set to open this year. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The University will be inaugurated in January and courses will begin in April. The concept for the university was first conceived in a 2011 pastoral letter titled “Let’s Build Together a Civilization of Love and Life.”
The University’s opening is a historic step in Vietnam for the educational freedom of Catholic institutions, denied for the last 60 years by the country’s Communist regime.
In northern Vietnam, a ban on Catholic educational institutions began in 1954 and was implemented in southern Vietnam in 1975. More than 2,000 schools were impacted in the south, ranging from kindergartens to higher education facilities.
After many negotiations with the Church, the Vietnamese government reportedly gave the University “the green light” this past August. On September 14, an official decree on the University from the Vatican Congregation for Education was signed and delivered to the Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference.
Courses offered by the University include: sacramental, dogmatic and moral theology; liturgical and biblical studies; canonical law; philosophy; psychology; and human sciences. Students can obtain a baccalaureate, a license and a doctorate in theology. All courses will be taught in Vietnamese, but there are tentative plans to offer English courses in the future as well. There are no restrictions on who can apply for admission.
For the time being, the University will operate within the Episcopal Conference’s office in Ho Chi Minh City until a permanent location can be found.
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