Asian Catholics paid tribute to Venerable Francis-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuyn to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his spiritual writings, compiled in the book “The Road of Hope: The Gospel from Prison.”
To honor the late Vietnamese bishop’s legacy, the Vatican held the conference “Cardinal Van Thuận: Witness of Hope” on Wednesday at the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran in Rome. The event was attended by hundreds of people, including members of Van Thuyn’s family.
While imprisoned by the communist government in Vietnam during the 1970s and 1980s, Van Thuận, then co-adjutor archbishop of Sai Gon, wrote a series of spiritual reflections on pieces of paper that were secretly sent to persecuted Christian communities.
“These 1,001 meditations (traveled) from family to family, from prison cells to prison cells, from re-education camps to re-education camps, and finally they crossed the ocean with ‘boat people’ and reached different countries in the world,” Van Thuy’s sister Elizabeth Nguyen Thu Thu Hong said at the March 25 conference.
“In a spirit of faith, joy and gratitude, we all see the power of God’s presence in the story of this shepherd who, despite being separated from his flock, remained closely united with them all through the Word of God,” she said.
Cardinal Lazaro Yoo Heung-sik and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle both spoke at the event and shared personal stories and impressions of the prelate who was declared “venerable” by Pope Francis in 2017.
Describing Van Thuần as a man of “great gentleness, peace and inner freedom”, Yu Heung-sik praised him for being “a true model of Christian and priestly life”.
The Dicastery of the Pastor Prefect said, “His life was marked by extremely severe trials, but it was in those trials that the greatness of his faith was revealed.”
He said, “In the Eucharist he received strength from Jesus every day when, while in prison, he celebrated Holy Mass in secret with three drops of wine and a drop of water in the palm of his hand.”
Tagle, who recalled first meeting Van Thuận at the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference meeting in Manila in 1995, said he was immediately struck by his kindness and warmth.
The Filipino Cardinal said, “There was no trace of bitterness and hatred in him. I was unable to take my eyes off his bright and smiling face.” “Before we went our separate ways, he said, call me ‘Uncle’ from now on.”
When von Thuyn died in Rome of stomach cancer at the age of 74, Tagle said he attended the funeral in St. Peter’s Basilica in September 2002 in the presence of St. John Paul II.
“His suffering did not stop him from making others happy,” he said emotionally. “There was palpable sadness in the air but also gratitude for the gift of this servant of God and the Church.”
Vietnamese communities abroad also paid tribute to Van Thuận to mark the 50th anniversary of his prison meditation, including in Australia – the country where his family fled as refugees in the 1970s.
Father John Nguyen, OFM CAP, the first Australian-born priest of Vietnamese heritage in the country, told EWTN News that Van Thuyen’s love for the priesthood and the Eucharist remains a source of inspiration for him.
“One of the writings of Cardinal Van Thuyn that was most important to me, because I saw it in late 2008 when I entered postulancy with the Capuchin Franciscans, is, ‘If you do not have everything or have lost everything, but still have the Blessed Sacrament, then truly you still have everything,'” he said.
“It is a constant reminder that if one day, despite losing everything around me, whether it be people, material things, or plans that have failed, as long as I truly have Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament, I truly have everything because God is our everything,” he added.
