The first archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, who led his archdiocese during and after the Vietnam War, has been praised for his contribution to the Church.

After Vietnam was reunified in 1975, Archbishop Paul Nguyen Van Binh asked Ho Chi Minh City Catholics to quietly practice their faith and work with others to rebuild the city, said Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man.

Some 120,000 laypeople and 300 priests had fled the area to avoid the communists then, while 370 Church facilities were closed or confiscated by the government, said the cardinal, head of Ho Chi Minh City archdiocese.

He was speaking at a Sept. 1 meeting marking the 100th anniversary of Archbishop Binh’s birthday. About 800 priests, Religious, laypeople and government authorities attended the event.

Archbishop Binh, Cardinal Man’s predecessor, established 88 parishes and founded 23 lay Catholic associations, said the cardinal.

The late prelate also built the St. Joseph Major Seminary, houses for retired priests and a building for pastoral activities in the compound of the archbishop’s house.

“Archbishop Binh tried to build strong foundations for the local Church’s development,” said Cardinal Man.

The late archbishop was born on Sept. 1, 1910 and ordained a priest in Rome in 1937. After he returned to Sai Gon (now Ho Chi Minh city) in 1938, he served at some parishes and taught at the major seminary until he was named bishop of Can Tho in 1955.

He was made the first archbishop of Sai Gon archdiocese in 1960. He died on July 1, 1995.

Some priests and Religious said Archbishop Binh had asked local Catholics to live in harmony with the communists. He also held dialogue sessions with the communists to help both sides understand one another better.

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