Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận

Arrested on August 15, 1975, by the communist regime, Bishop Nguyễn Văn Thuận spent thirteen years in detention, including nine years in total isolation. Faced with deprivation and forced labor, he chose to live the present moment with love. He celebrated Mass in secret in his cell, using the palm of his hand as a chalice and clandestine altar wine. During his captivity, he wrote his major work, The Road of Hope, on the backs of old calendars, containing 1001 short spiritual meditations. Through his gentleness and heroic charity, he earned the respect of his guards.

Released on November 21, 1988, Bishop Nguyễn Văn Thuận was placed under house arrest and then forced into exile in 1991. Welcomed to Rome by John Paul II, he became vice-president and then president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, overseeing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. In 2000, he preached the Lenten spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia, published under the title Testimony of Hope. Created Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria della Scala in 2001, he died of cancer on September 16, 2002, in Rome.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận opened on September 16, 2007, under the impetus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The diocesan inquiry took place in Rome and concluded on July 5, 2013, at the Lateran Palace. On May 4, 2017, Pope Francis signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, conferring upon him the title of Venerable. The cause continues, awaiting the recognition of a miracle.

The spirituality of the Venerable Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận is centered on the theological virtue of hope lived in the present moment. He leaves an immense spiritual legacy through works such as The Road of Hope, Five Loaves and Two Fish, and Prayers of Hope. He is also the author of the "Beatitudes of the Politician." His testimony was praised by Benedict XVI in the encyclical Spe Salvi (2007) and by Leo XIV in the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas (May 15, 2026) as an example of hope and human dignity.