By Kielce Gussie
After spending 13 years as a political prisoner—of which nine in solitary confinement—Venerable Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận’s book, Road of Hope, continues to offer hope and inspiration to people around the world, 50 years after its publication.
Ordained and living the Catholic faith in the midst of an anti-Catholic Communist regime in Vietnam in the 1970s-1980s, the then Bishop of Nha Trang was arrested and imprisoned without a trial. In 2002, Văn Thuận died in Rome, and fifteen years later, Pope Francis declared him Venerable.
Now, in the same place—the Hall of the Lateran Treaties at the Lateran Palace—where the closing of the diocesan phase of Cardinal Văn Thuận’s beatification cause was signed in 2013, a conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the book highlighted the importance of this work and the ongoing legacy of the cardinal.
At the start of the conference, the moderator, Vatican Media journalist Alessandro De Carolis, announced that Pope Leo XIV had sent a message to mark the occasion. The Pope offered his best wishes for this event, which—according to the message signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin—helps to rediscover the “fervent Christian witness” of this “generous pastor,” whose example “remains strikingly relevant today.”
Cardinal Văn Thuận reminds us, in fact, that “Christian hope is born from an encounter with Christ and takes shape in a life given to God and to others,” the Pope affirmed.
Dedicated to a divided nation
Reflecting on the life of the Vietnamese Venerable, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, described Cardinal Văn Thuận as not only a promoter of justice and peace but also an embodiment of “these values in word and action.”
His life reflected his mission and all that he promoted: volunteering as a chaplain in hospitals, prisons, and leper colonies. Moreover, Cardinal Văn Thuận launched a number of educational and social initiatives and dedicated his time to promoting reconciliation in a divided nation.
As Cardinal Czerny highlighted, this work did not end with Cardinal Văn Thuận’s imprisonment. Rather, he “maintained this attitude towards the other prisoners, Christians and non-Christians alike, and even towards his prison guards.”
Following his release from prison in 1988, the Vietnamese cardinal lived in Rome from 1991, unable to return to his home country. However, it was in these years without an official role that “he did impressive work in support of Vietnamese refugees across the globe, both on a human and a spiritual level, promoting an international aid network and a wide range of initiatives.”
His legacy also continues to live on through his contribution to the creation of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, with its goal of responding to the cry for social justice in the light of the Catholic faith.
A sister’s memory
Today, “we all witness the power of God’s presence through the story of this shepherd separated from his flock, all the while remaining intimately united through the Word of God,” said Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng, Cardinal Văn Thuận’s sister.
She remembered thelegacy of her family—even before her brother—who were persecuted and even killed for their faith. From 1845 to 1862, the “plan of the emperor at the time was to make them eventually forget their faith”, Thu Hồng explained, which led to many Christians losing their lives in defense of the Catholic faith.
Yet, the Christians in Vietnam did not renounce their beliefs. Rather, as Thị Thu Hồng highlighted, they “remained emotionally and spiritually united…by clinging on to a few sentences of the Gospel or prayers written on scraps of paper and hidden among their belongings.” Centuries later, in 1975, the same was true as Christians clung to their faith in the midst of persecution. It was during this time that Cardinal Văn Thuận’s 1001 Meditations began to be passed along amongst families, prison cells, and education camps.
From there, in the 1980s, these meditations were formally collected and organized into the book now known as Road of Hope. Thị Thu Hồng shared how these meditations brought “the presence of Jesus to the faithful in distress” and have become a lasting heritage for people around the world, especially those living in Asia today.
“I think for the church in Asia—now that the war is no longer as atrocious as before—for them [it’s about] rebuilding society, rebuilding whatever was broken before, and starting to open up to the world. [It is also about giving] the world a model of living together in cooperation and in peace”, Thị Thu Hồng shared with Vatican News on the sidelines of the event.
A true model of Christian and priestly life
While his life was far from easy, Cardinal Văn Thuận remained steadfast in his faith. Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, highlighted how, after losing everything, the Vietnamese cardinal “made a new and very profound choice for the Lord: God, and not the works of God.”
Having personally met Văn Thuận, the prefect described him as “a man of great gentleness, serenity, and inner freedom” who had a heart for priests. He was a man, he said, who knew how to evangelize in every circumstance—even in ones that most wouldn’t find themselves.
Imprisoned, Venerable Văn Thuận touched the lives of his guards and fellow prisoners. Cardinal You Heung-sik recalled the testimony of one of his guards, who, years after meeting the future cardinal, was baptized. “Meeting Bishop Thuan was the most important encounter of my life,” the guard explained, “He set me on the path to becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, a citizen of justice and peace.”
From Vietnam to the United States
In the context of the world today—full of conflict and violence—Auxiliary Bishop Thanh Nguyen of Orange County, California, stressed that Cardinal Văn Thuận’s book is a reminder that hope is not something external.
The book, Road of Hope, offers the world an invitation to reflect on where hope comes from. As the auxiliary bishop noted, Cardinal Văn Thuận’s life testified to how hope stems from “believing that there’s nothing in this world that can distinguish the faith within us.” He upheld the example of one of the Buddhist prisoners who knew Cardinal Văn Thuận. The Vietnamese cardinal explained to his fellow inmate that “the communists can take everything away, but they cannot take away your faith.”
So, responding to the question of what message the world can take away from Cardinal Văn Thuận’s book of hope 50 years after it was written, Bishop Nguyen said, “There’s nothing that can defeat that sense of hope if you really believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him faithfully and genuinely.”
