Religious highlights in April 2025:
- The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha accuses Thích Minh Tuệ of being a fake monk
- Tibetan High Monk passes away and is secretly cremated in Vietnam
- Yiguandao inaugurates charity kitchen in Hà Giang
- Bắc Kạn: Authorities prevent believers of the Church of God from holding religious activities
Pope Francis Passes Away
On April 21, 2025, Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Joseph Farrell announced that Pope Francis passed away at 7:35 A.M. (Rome time) due to a stroke, coma, and heart failure. He was 88 years old and had led the Catholic Church for 12 years.
Previously, he had suffered from various illnesses, and most recently, in February, he was hospitalized with double pneumonia.
Pope Francis, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a family of Italian immigrants. His parents had five children. His father, Maria Jose Bergoglio, was a railway worker, while his mother, Regina Maria Sivori, was a homemaker.
After earning a master’s degree in chemistry, he joined the priesthood and became a Jesuit priest (the Society of Jesus).
On Feb. 28, 1998, he was appointed Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires.
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio often traveled by bus, cooked for himself, lived in a small room, and regularly visited the sick and the poor. He was also known for his humility, strong defense of Church doctrine, and commitment to social justice.
On Feb. 21, 2001, Pope John Paul II elevated him to the rank of cardinal.
On March 13, 2013, he became the 266th pope of the Catholic Church and the first to take the name Francis (the saint of the poor).
As pope, he maintained a simple and humble lifestyle, and consistently defended the poor.
Pope Francis was buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, instead of Saint Peter’s Basilica like many of his predecessors.
Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Accuses Monk Thích Minh Tuệ of Being a Fake Monk
On April 16, 2025, YouTuber Trần Nguyên interviewed a witness, Nguyễn Minh Chí, and reported that a group believed to be from the Sri Lankan Buddhist Sangha had obstructed the entourage walking with Vietnamese monk Thich Minh Tue.
This group allegedly presented a document said to be from Venerable Thích Nhật Từ of the Vietnam Buddhis Sangha, accusing Thích Minh Tuệ’ s group of being fake monks.
Followers have been moved by Thích Minh Tuệs humbleness and asceticism while on his walks around Vietnam. He wears a patched robe and usually goes barefoot. Supporters say his humble ways stand in sharp contrast to senior monks in the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, who focus on attracting offerings while living in large pagodas and flaunting expensive lifestyles.
Shortly after, a document allegedly from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha bearing Venerable Thích Nhật Từ’s signature circulated on social media. The document accused Lê Anh Tú (Thích Minh Tuệ) of impersonating a Buddhist monk, attempting to create his own sect, using religion to carry out political subversion, weakening the unity of Vietnamese Buddhism, and threatening the sovereignty of the Vietnamese state.
Following the spreading of this document, a wave of debate and strong public opposition erupted on social media.
Thích Minh Tuệ, dubbed the Walking Monk, stated that he had not broken any laws, had not created a separate sect, and called for dialogue to avoid misunderstandings.
According to RFA, also on April 16, 2025, a post appeared on a Facebook page related to Venerable Thích Nhật Từ denying the content of the circulating document and calling it false and defamatory. The post was later deleted.
From late March to early April 2024, social media was stirred by images of Thích Minh Tuệ, whose given name is Lê Anh Tú. Since 2017, he has walked across Vietnam three times. However, during his fourth pilgrimage in 2024, crowds began to follow him, and he suddenly became a phenomenon.
Soon after, the state-run Vietnam Buddhist Sangha stated that many people were using Thích Minh Tuệ’s image to criticize the monastic life of monks within the Sangha. They called on followers to counter the wave of public opinion that was allegedly disrespecting Buddhism.
Thích Minh Tuệ’s group is continuing their journey by foot to India.
Tibetan Lama Died and Was Secretly Cremated in Việt Nam
On April 8, 2025, the Tibetan government-in-exile announced that monk Tulku Hungkar Dorje (also known as Trulku Hungkar Dorjee) had suddenly passed away in Hồ Chí Minh City (HCMC) on March 29, 2025.
According to the Tibetan government-in-exile, Tulku Hungkar Dorje was a well-known Tibetan religious leader who died while in the custody of Chinese and Vietnamese officials.
On March 25, 2025, Tulku Hungkar Dorje was arrested at a hotel in HCMC in a coordinated operation between local police and Chinese secret agents. A few days later, the state announced that he suddenly died in detention under unclear circumstances at the age of 56.
On April 3, 2025, a group of five monks from Lung Ngon Monastery, accompanied by some Chinese officials, came to Vietnam to bring his body back to Tibet. On the same day, Lung Ngon Monastery in Vietnam announced that Tulku Hungkar Dorje had died due to “poor health” and “illness.” However, the Vietnamese government has not made any official statement.
According to RFA, followers wanted to bring Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s body back to Tibet but failed because the body had already been cremated.
It is reported that authorities cremated Tulku Hungkar Dorje at Long Thọ Cremation Park in Hồ Chí Minh City. Before that, his body had been kept at Vinmec Central Park International Hospital, about 40 kilometers from the cremation site.
To this day, neither the Vietnamese nor Chinese governments have made any official statements regarding the death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje.
According to the Tibetan government-in-exile, Tulku Hungkar Dorje was born in 1969 in Amdo Province and was a Tibetan spiritual leader.
He fled to Vietnam in September 2024 due to fear of persecution by the Chinese government, related to his work in education and the promotion of the Tibetan language and culture.
The suspicious death of monk Tulku Hungkar Dorje reflects China’s growing concern over influential Tibetan figures who promote Tibetan culture, language, and identity. His case highlights the ongoing human rights repression in Tibet, where people live in constant fear of being detained for expressing their local identity.
Yiguandao Inaugurates Charity Kitchen in Hà Giang
On April 8, 2025, the General Association of Yiguandao Vietnam inaugurated a charity kitchen at the Quảng Ngần Semi boarding Ethnic Primary and Secondary School in Vị Xuyên District, Hà Giang province.
This project was built in cooperation between the Provincial Red Cross Society and the General Association of Yiguandao Vietnam.
So far, Yiguandao has not been officially permitted to operate in Vietnam. For this reason, authorities have repeatedly prevented followers of this religion from holding religious activities.
For example, in June 2022, police in Phú Mỹ commune, Phú Vang district, Thừa Thiên – Huế province, stopped a group of people from practicing Yiguandao.
Similarly, in May 2023, authorities in Cao Lãnh district, Đồng Tháp province, blocked a gathering of 15 followers and encouraged locals not to follow the religion.
However, recently, in certain areas, Yiguandao groups have been allowed to operate publicly.
Notably, in Tiền Giang province, there are currently 11 Yiguandao temples in operation. Most of the followers are farmers and workers.
Earlier, in July 2023, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, Nguyễn Ánh Chức, visited several Yiguandao facilities in Tiền Giang province.
The government’s visits and its approval of the religion’s charitable activities may be the first steps toward official recognition of Yiguandao in Vietnam.
Yiguandao was a prominent religion in 19th century China. It is a syncretic religion combining Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. In Taiwan, Yiguandao is very active, and many Vietnamese living there have joined its religious practices.
On April 12, 2025, authorities in Chợ Mới district, Bắc Kạn province, discovered a group of Church of God believers conducting religious activities at a private residence.
The five-person group reportedly held the Passover ceremony, a ritual commemorating the meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion. Authorities also confiscated various documents and items related to the Church of God.
Ahn Sahng-hong founded the Church of God in 1964 in Gyeonggi province, South Korea. In 2001, the Church was introduced to southern Vietnam and expanded rapidly to northern regions.
To this day, authorities have regularly accused the Church of God of distorting religious teachings, deceiving people, and going against traditional cultural values.