Introducing the veneration
of ancestors into Church life

Archbishop Stephen Nguyen Nhu The
Hue, Vietnam

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Prepared for internet by Vietnamese Missionaries in Taiwan

In Vietnam, the inculturation process must deal with the problem of the "worship" of ancestors. This intervention is, therefore, an approach to the problem.

1. Veneration of ancestors in Vietnamese culture

One can easily see that the worship of spirits (animism) is the oldest and most widespread religion in Vietnam, and that the worship of ancestors is its most essential element. Even the great religions or doctrinal teachings, like Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, were obliged to incorporate the essential elements of these popular beliefs before they were accepted by the people.

2. Veneration of ancestors in the controversy of the rites of worship

We are very familiar with the historical controversy about rites of worship, especially the worship of ancestors, in the China Mission from the 17th to the 20th centuries, due to traditional and social misunderstandings. Many decrees prohibiting it were promulgated, and the Churches of Asia greatly suffered the consequences. Only in recent years has the Church in Vietnam authorized the progressive practice of certain forms of ancestor worship in families, such as having ancestral altars, offering incense and genuflecting before ancestral images.

However, among Catholics it is not easy to apply this custom, and it sometimes causes deep division in families. The issue of the veneration of ancestors is still the most serious pastoral problem, whose impasse can be a real obstacle to the work of evangelization.

3. Veneration of ancestors: a cultural and moral element

In the past, we always considered the worship of ancestors a form of belief. But on careful consideration (cf. Instruction Plane compertum est), this worship above all has a profound cultural and moral role in social and family life. This is precisely why the Church in Vietnam must make the most of it to enter dialogue, to proclaim the Good News and to advance together with her peoples. This is probably the key problem of evangelization in the near future. We must, therefore, courageously start introducing into Church life the customs and traditions of the veneration of ancestors, especially in the liturgy and sacramental rituals. This is certainly for the benefit of the great work of evangelization.

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