Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan: The Lord's True Witness

+J.M.J.+

by Monsignor Charles M. Mangan
©Catholic Online 2004

One of our world's great witnesses to Jesus Christ died on 16 September 2002 at the age of 74. Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyęn Văn Thuân, President of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, succumbed to cancer.

His story is astonishing.

The future prelate was born in Huę, Vietnam on 17 April 1928. A pious lad from a devout family that counted among its relatives some of the early Vietnamese martyrs, François-Xavier was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 11 June 1953. Six years later, he obtained the Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urban University, Rome.

Father Văn Thuân's prayerfulness and brilliance were quickly recognized. He was appointed as seminary professor and later as the seminary rector and Vicar General of the Diocese. Pope Paul VI nominated him as the Bishop of Nha Trang on 13 April 1967.

The same Sovereign Pontiff, in 1975, named Bishop Văn Thuân as Coadjutor Archbishop of Saigon (now known as Hô Chí Minh City). His Excellency took as his episcopal motto the title of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council's "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes" ("The Joy and Hope").

The triumph of South Vietnam by the Communists was completed that year; the entire country had gone red. The new Coadjutor Archbishop was arrested on the Solemnity of the Assumption, 15 August 1975, and incarcerated for thirteen years, nine of which were endured in solitary confinement in Vinh Phu prison in Hanoi.

The Archbishop was conscious of his bond to an esteemed group of persecuted Vietnamese Catholics who meekly but resolutely carried the Cross of Christ. Within 300 years, 130,000 Vietnamese Catholics died for the Faith, of whom 118 have been beatified. The number of Catholics in Vietnam since 1975 who similarly have died is unknown.

Archbishop Văn Thuân was released from prison in 1988 to house arrest; he was denied permission to perform his pastoral duties. He was allowed to leave Vietnam in March 1989 to visit his elderly parents in Sydney, Australia and he also traveled to Rome where he met with Pope John Paul II.

In 1991, the Archbishop was expelled from his beloved Vietnam.

The Holy Father named Archbishop Văn Thuân the Vice President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in November 1994 and promoted him to the Presidency on 24 June 1998--thirty-one years to the day he was ordained to the Episcopate. In March during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 he preached the annual Lenten Retreat to the Pontiff and the members of the Roman Curia.

The Holy Father created Archbishop Văn Thuân a cardinal in the Consistory of 21 February 2001.

In 2002, a few months before his death which, in the words of the Holy Father, had been preceded by "a long and painful illness," Cardinal Văn Thuân acknowledged that soon the Church will publish a compendium of her doctrine regarding important social issues--like wealth, unemployment, resources and debt.

Upon the Cardinal's death, Pope John Paul sent a telegram of condolence to his one hundred year-old Mother who lived in a nursing home in Rome.

On 20 September 2002, the Holy Father presided and preached at the Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican Secretary of State. During his homily, Pope John Paul disclosed the "pearl" that enriched Cardinal Văn Thuân's life: "His secret was indomitable trust in God, nourished by prayer and suffering, accepted with love."

Now we know a little about this Vietnamese hero. But does he teach us something?

Yes! Here are a few gems that we glean from Cardinal Văn Thuân's words and actions.

The Risen Lord Jesus Christ is our only hope. Isolated in prison for over a decade, the Coadjutor Archbishop of Saigon could have despaired. Instead, he remained steeped in prayer and penance, constantly keeping his eyes fixed on the Master. The humble inmate knew that the beneficent Savior would not abandon him. And his loyalty to and trust in Jesus provided a stellar example for his jailers and fellow prisoners.

The Most Holy Eucharist is our most magnificent treasure. How easy it is for those who routinely have access to Mass to treat the Bread of Life and Chalice of Salvation with an over-familiarity--and worse, carelessness. Not the imprisoned Archbishop! He gladly offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass behind bars. If he had been discovered, he would have been punished severely. The Cardinal described his clandestine Masses: "Every day, with three drops of wine and a drop of water in the palm of my hand, I would celebrate Mass. This was my Altar, and this was my Cathedral! ( . . . ) Each day in reciting the words of Consecration, I confirmed with all my heart and soul a new pact, an eternal pact between Jesus and me through His Blood mixed with mine. Those were the most beautiful Masses of my life!"

Love and forgiveness of enemies is obligatory, not optional. Bitterness was not in the Archbishop's vocabulary. He freely and willingly loved and pardoned his captors. When a prison guard expressed his disbelief that the prelate could love him and the others who jailed him without a proper trial and sentence, Archbishop Văn Thuân replied: ". . . Jesus has taught me to love everyone. If I don't, I am no longer worthy to be called a Christian." The Madonna: our tender and available Mother. In prison the Archbishop pleaded: "Mother, if you see that I can no longer be useful to your Church, grant me the grace to consume my life in prison. Otherwise, allow me to leave prison on one of your Feasts." On 21 November 1988, the Memorial of the Presentation of Mary, Archbishop Văn Thuân was summoned to see the Minister of the Interior and granted his unexpected release from jail. He never forgot, whether in or out of custody, the Virgin of Tenderness who delights in assisting her children, regardless of the seemingly impossible circumstance.

To assert that Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyęn Văn Thuân was a spiritual giant of the twentieth century is no overstatement. And perhaps some of us may even live to see him elevated to the glories of the Altar. Whatever happens, one thing is certain: the unpretentious Cardinal Văn Thuân, who lived under the gentle mantle of the Immaculata, displayed the abundant charity and unparalleled mercy of Christ both inside and outside of detention. For that, the Church in the Third Christian Millennium is much richer.

The Holy Father's Lenten Retreat given by Cardinal Văn Thuân has been published as "Testimony of Hope" (Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2000).

Contact

Mary's Field
https://www.catholic.org , VA
Monsignor Charles M. Mangan - Official, 390 66616-1125

Email

fathermangan@catholic.org

Keywords

Holiness

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 4,716

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »

A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain

Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul

A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell

My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz

Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell

Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online

Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online

Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online

State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online

Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online

2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online

Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online

Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online

Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online

Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online

Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online

Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online

Full Circle
Robert Gieb

Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite

Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony

Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell

World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online

Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online

A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe

Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly

Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard

The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely

Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow

A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow

Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea

Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard

Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol

Edging God Out
Paul Sposite

Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow

George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online

Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell

Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey

Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite

Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol

Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online

Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online

Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online

Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online

Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online

Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online

Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »