Asian Catholics paid tribute to Venerable Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận to mark the 50th anniversary of his spiritual writings compiled in the book “The Road of Hope: The Gospel from Prison.”
To honor the legacy of the late Vietnamese prelate, the Vatican held the “Cardinal Văn Thuận: Witness of Hope” conference at the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran in Rome on Wednesday. The event was attended by hundreds of people including members of Văn Thuận’s family.
While imprisoned by the communist government in Vietnam during the 1970s and 1980s, Văn Thuận, who was coadjutor archbishop of Sài Gòn at the time, wrote a series of spiritual reflections on scraps of paper that were clandestinely sent out to persecuted Christian communities.
“These 1,001 meditations [traveled] from family to family, from prison cells to prison cells, to reeducation camps to reeducation camps, and finally they crossed oceans with the ‘boat people’ and arrived in different countries in the world,” Văn Thuận’s sister Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng said at the March 25 conference.
“In a spirit of faith, joy, and gratitude, we all witness the power of God’s presence in the story of this shepherd who, while separated from his flock, remained intimately united with all of them through the word of God,” she said.
Both Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle spoke at the event and shared personal stories and impressions of the prelate decreed “venerable” by Pope Francis in 2017.
Describing Văn Thuận as a man of “great gentleness, serenity, and inner freedom,” You Heung-sik praised him for being “a true model of Christian and priestly life.”
“His life was marked by extremely harsh trials, but it was precisely in those trials that the greatness of his faith was revealed,” the Dicastery for the Clergy prefect said.
“He drew strength every day from Jesus in the Eucharist when, while in prison, he celebrated holy Mass in secrecy with three drops of wine and a drop of water in the palm of his hand,” he added.
Tagle, who recalled first meeting Văn Thuận at a 1995 Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference meeting in Manila, said he was immediately struck by his kindness and warmth.
“There was not a trace of bitterness and hatred in him. I could not get my eyes off his radiant and smiling face,” the Filipino cardinal said. “Before going our separate ways, he said, from now on, call me ‘uncle.’”
When Văn Thuận died in Rome at the age of 74 due to stomach cancer, Tagle said he attended the funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica in the presence of St. John Paul II in September 2002.
“His suffering did not prevent him from making others happy,” he said with emotion. “Sadness was palpable in the air but also gratitude for the gift of this servant of God and the Church.”
Vietnamese communities abroad also paid tribute to Văn Thuận to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his prison meditations, including from Australia — the country his family fled to as refugees in the 1970s.
Father John Nguyen, OFM Cap, the first Australian-born priest of Vietnamese heritage in the country, told EWTN News Văn Thuận’s love for the priesthood and the Eucharist continues to be a source of inspiration for him.
“One of Cardinal Văn Thuận’s writings that stood out for me, since I came across it in late 2008 when I just entered postulancy with the Capuchin Franciscans, was ‘If you lack everything or have lost everything, but still have the Blessed Sacrament, you actually still have everything,’” he said.
“It is a constant reminder that if one day, despite losing everything around me, be it people, material things, or plans that have fallen through, as long as I have Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, I actually have everything since God is our everything,” he added.
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