As tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered under the early morning sky at the Tac Say Pilgrimage Center in Vietnam’s Ca Mau province on July 2, the spiritual ripples of the historic event were profoundly felt across Thailand.
For the first time in history, the Vatican officially permitted a beatification rite to be celebrated on Vietnamese soil—the elevation of Father Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep to “Blessed”—drawing intense interest, solidarity, and prayer from the Catholic community in Vietnam as well as in Thailand.
Representing the Church in Thailand at the sprawling five-hectare outdoor ceremony was Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand.
Having arrived in Vietnam two days prior, Archbishop Vira expressed awe at the massive scale of preparation by the Can Tho Diocese and local authorities.
“I was impressed by the attendance of over 70,000 pilgrims, including approximately 2,000 priests. The ceremony began at 8:00 AM and went smoothly. The Mass was in Vietnamese and included the chanting of the Eucharistic hymns,” Archbishop Vira told LiCAS News.
“The government has not allowed schools to open since 1955. The teaching of religious doctrines relies on priests and catechists. The Catholic mission has been under religious control. Nevertheless, the faith in Jesus has flourished,” he observed.
A Witness Transcending Borders
For the faithful remaining in Thailand, digital screens became windows to a shared linguistic and spiritual heritage.
In northeast Thailand, members of the Assumption Sisters of the Thabom community gathered to follow the live broadcast, which reached hundreds of thousands of viewers across Asia and beyond.
Reflecting on Blessed Diep’s martyrdom in 1946—when he offered his own life to secure the release of his parishioners during the First Indochina War—Sr. Regina Maria Nguyen, RA, shared a profound, multi-layered perspective from her community in Thailand.
“I have followed the preparations for this beatification over the past few days with great joy and excitement,” Sr. Regina told LiCAS News. “However, attending the beatification ceremony online today gave me a much deeper perspective, forcing me to look inward at my own religious calling.”
“I found myself wondering: how many people in today’s world would truly choose to live and die as Father Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep did?” Sr. Regina reflected.
“His life is not only a powerful witness to me and to all Catholics, but also a living, breathing proclamation of God’s presence to our brothers and sisters of other faiths. The God whom many around us may neither see nor know was vividly revealed through him, granting him the supernatural courage to lay down his life for the sake of God’s name and for the flock entrusted to his care.”
“His life is a living proclamation of God’s presence to our brothers and sisters of other faiths,” Sr. Regina said. “Being a daughter of Vietnam serving here, I am reminded that faith and love are not expressed by words alone but are made visible through self-giving actions.”
Also, a Vietnamese member of the community, Sr. Maria Thu, RA, added:
“The life of Fr. Francis Xavier Diep also gives me strength not to run away from suffering but welcome it, dare to sacrifice my life for the mission, and for the people God entrusted to my care.”
Another member who recently joined the community from Vietnam, Sr. Therese Faustina, RA, described the martyr as a witness of faith and sacrificial love:
“Blessed Father Trương Bửu Diệp was faithful to Christ and to his people to the very end. He shows us that holiness is love, courage, and trust in God. May he inspire us to choose faith over fear, and to be witnesses of hope in every trial.”
Cardinal Tagle’s Call to Modern Martyrdom
The solemn Mass was presided over by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, acting as the personal representative of the Holy Father.
In a deeply moving homily, Cardinal Tagle addressed the paradox of calling a brutally murdered priest “blessed.”
Drawing from the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew, Cardinal Tagle offered three core reflections for the modern global Church:
- The Paradox of Blessedness: True happiness, as defined by Christ, belongs to those persecuted for the sake of justice and righteousness. “A person can embrace persecution for the sake of the name of Jesus only if he or she belongs to Jesus, and not to the world,” the Cardinal emphasized, challenging the faithful to choose honesty over corruption and the suffering of others over personal convenience.
- Martyrdom as True Witness: True martyrdom is not merely about death, but about a life lived in truth. Cardinal Tagle urged believers to reject the modern temptation toward division. “Which will we choose: to spread fake news or the teachings of Jesus? To be proud of our worldly achievements or to be proud of Jesus? The world does not need more messengers of falsehood, hatred, and violence.”
- A Foundation of Hope: Sustained by the reality of the Resurrection, Blessed Diep serves as a reminder to place hope entirely in the everlasting. “The world may forget us, but the Risen Jesus will remember us forever,” Cardinal Tagle stated, contrasting the fleeting nature of social media “likes” and earthly wealth with the eternal peace offered by Christ.
The presence of diverse pilgrims, including significant numbers of non-Christians who revere Father Diep for his humanitarian legacy, transformed the Tac Say grounds into a powerful forum for national unity and regional solidarity.
From a Thai perspective, the beatification of Blessed Truong Buu Diep is viewed not merely as a localized milestone for Vietnam, but as a strengthening of interfaith and regional bonds across Southeast Asia.
