The Catholic Church in Vietnam is set to celebrate the beatification of its first 20th-century martyr, Fr. Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep.
Pope Francis, during an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, authorized the promulgation of a decree recognizing Fr. Diep’s martyrdom, marking a significant milestone for the Church in Vietnam.
Fr. Diep, a diocesan priest born in 1897 in the province of An Giang, was martyred in 1946 during the turbulent period of the first Vietnam War.
His cause for beatification, officially launched in 2012, represents an important acknowledgment of the faith and sacrifices of Vietnamese Catholics, especially during the 20th century, when the Church faced wars and persecutions, according to a report by AsiaNews.
The announcement came as Vietnam celebrates the liturgical feast of its martyr saints, including the 117 figures led by Fr. Andrea Dung Lac, canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1990.
Their feast, typically on Nov. 24, was observed this year on Nov. 25 due to the solemnity of Christ the King.
Ordained in 1924 after studies at the seminary in Phnom Penh, Fr. Diep was assigned to the parish of Tac Say in the Diocese of Can Tho in 1930, where he served for 16 years.
His work extended beyond his parish, fostering the growth of Catholic communities across the Mekong Delta. During the chaos of 1945-1946, Fr. Diep chose to stay with his flock despite the devastation caused by war.
“My life and my death are for my flock. The shepherd must be where the flock is,” he is remembered as saying when advised to leave for safety.
Fr. Diep was eventually captured by Japanese deserters allied with Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh. He sacrificed himself, offering his life in exchange for his imprisoned parishioners.
After being killed, his body was mutilated and discarded in a shallow pool, but his remains were later recovered and buried in Tac Say, where they continue to be venerated.
Fr. Diep’s legacy transcends religious boundaries. His burial site in Tac Say has become a place of pilgrimage for people of various faiths, seeking his intercession.
Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, Archbishop Emeritus of Ho Chi Minh City, who met Fr. Diep as a child, recalled him as “a holy priest, always concerned about the future of the Church and ready to encourage the faithful to commit themselves fully to religion.”
“Wherever he went, he committed himself to building a place of worship and to constructing houses for the faithful. He lived and died for them,” the cardinal said in an earlier interview with AsiaNews.
The beatification of Fr. Diep not only honors his sacrifice but also highlights the enduring resilience of the Vietnamese Church, whose faithful have continually borne witness to their faith amid trials and persecutions.
