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Nguyễn Văn Thuận

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François Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan was a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic church. He was the nephew of South Vietnam first President Ngo Dinh Diem.

Nguyen Van Thuan was born on April 17, 1928 at Imperial Capital of Hue, Vietnam.

Early Life

Cardinal Van Thuan’s mother, who is still alive, played an important role in his formation. He says of her, "She taught me stories from the Bible every night, she told me the stories of our martyrs, especially of our ancestors; she taught me love for my country. She was the strong woman who buried her brothers massacred by traitors, whom she sincerely pardoned."

In 1941, NguyenVan Thuan joined An Ninh Minor Seminary and was ordained on June 11, 1953. After six years of further studies in Rome, and from 1959-1967 he was a faculty member and rector of the [[Seminary of Nha Trang.

On April 24, 1975, he was appointed by deputy archbishop of Saigon. The During the invasion of South Vietnam by the Communist North Vietnamese Army and their Viet Cong Agents, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) were defending the capital city of Saigon, but failed and because of lack of leadership and low supplies. they captured Saigon and South Vietnam was under communist control.

Nguyen Van Thuan as the new Bishop of Saigon was targeted for his faith as well as his family connection to Ngo Dinh Diem. The Communist Government of Vietnam located in Hanoi jailed in a reeducation camp for 13 years, 9 of them in solitary confinement.


While in prison he smuggled out messages to his people on scraps of paper. These brief reflections, copied by hand and circulated within the Vietnamese community, have been printed in the book The Road of Hope. Another book, Prayers of Hope, contains his prayers written in prison. The bishop fashioned a tiny Bible out of scraps of paper. Sympathetic guards smuggled in a piece of wood and some wire from which he crafted a small crucifix.

In Exile

On November 21, 1988, Nguyen Van Thuan was released the the communist government and forced into exile. He was received by John Paul II into the Vatican City, and ran the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, handling issues such as Third World debt.

During the Jubilee Year 2000, the John Paul II invited him to preach the annual retreat for the Pope and the members of the Roman Curia between March 12 and 18, 2000. He asked Archbishop van Thuan to speak of his experience as one who could well be called a living martyr, a witness to the Faith. The retreat talks were part of the daily e-mail dispatches of Zenit, an international news agency. Through this retreat, the world began to know Van Thuan and to hunger for his message of hope.

His talks were later published under the title of Testimony of Hope. The title is appropriate, for his talks all speak of joy and hope, even in suffering and beyond the fear of death.

On February 21, 2001, Nguyen Van Thuan was created a cardinal deacon and received the red biretta and deaconry of S. Maria della Scala. Within a week, Viêt Nam's Foreign Ministry eased restrictions and the Cardinal could enter his native country with only routine immigration procedures and was afforded all the privileges normally given to overseas citizens.

On September 16, 2002, Nguyen Van Thuan died of cancer in a clinic in Rome at the age of 74.

Prior to his death Nguyen Van Thuan had appeared on lists of possible successors to Pope John Paul II.

Quotes

  • Speaking again of his mother, Van Thuan said, When I was in prison, she was my great comfort. She said to all, "Pray that my son will be faithful to the Church and remain where God wants him."
  • "In our country there is a saying: ‘A day in prison is worth a thousand autumns of freedom.' I myself experienced this. While in prison, everyone waits for freedom, every day, every minute. We must live each day, each minute of our life as though it is the last."

[Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan]