Cablegate: Hcmc Protestant Church to Add Over 180 Pastors to Its Rolls
VZCZCXRO5838
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHHM #1245 3050418
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010418Z NOV 06
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1695
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 1189
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 1784
UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 001245
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SOCI PREL PGOV KIRF PREF VM
SUBJECT: HCMC PROTESTANT CHURCH TO ADD OVER 180 PASTORS TO ITS ROLLS
1. (SBU) On October 31, ConGenOffs attended the first graduation
ceremony for the Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV)
since the GVN recognized the organization in 2001. A total of
219 students received various religious degrees, including BAs
in Theology. The SECV will ordain 183 of these students as
pastors by early 2007. The new pastors include 106 students
from the Central Highlands: 14 from Gia Lai, 26 from Dak Lak,
26 from Dak Nong, and 40 from Lam Dong. Many of these students
had attended theological courses in the Central Highlands
facilitated by their respective provincial governments since
2005. SECV officials told us that the graduates would return to
their respective Central Highlands provinces and be deployed to
newly recognized churches or to churches in the process of
recognition under Vietnam's legal framework on religion.
2. (SBU) Comment: SECV leaders have explained that they have an
internal requirement that fully-operational, recognized
congregations should be headed by an ordained pastor. A
shortage of trained personnel has hindered the process of
recognition of SECV churches in the Central Highlands. The
newly-graduated students should help continue the positive trend
of SECV church recognitions in the Central Highlands in 2007.
End Comment.
WINNICK