“In order to hold on firmly to your faith, you must choose the Road of Hope followed by the disciples of Christ”. This is one of the 1001 thoughts addressed by the then Archbishop François Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận to his faithful during his long years of imprisonment for his faith: a collection of reflections, warnings, and encouragements, later collected in the book “The Road of Hope”, considered the “spiritual testament” of the Vietnamese Cardinal, declared Venerable by Pope Francis.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the book's publication, the Cause for Beatification of Cardinal Văn Thuận and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which is acting as the promoter of the cause, together with the Dicastery for the Clergy, the Città Nuova Publishing House, and the Diocese of Rome, wish to honor the memory of the Vietnamese Cardinal by celebrating a conference entitled “François Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận. Witness of Hope”.
The event will be held on March 25 in Rome, at the Sala dei Trattati Lateranensi, in the Palazzo Apostolico Lateranense, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Ms. Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng, sister of Cardinal Văn Thuận, will be present.
Through the testimony of those who knew him, and with excerpts and music from his writings, the conference aims to highlight the relevance of Cardinal Văn Thuận today: a faithful pastor who was able to transform his experience of imprisonment into a space of prayer, forgiveness, and sacrifice, showing how the light of the Gospel can overcome all darkness. His words convey a message of hope, a universal spiritual heritage.
His Eminence Cardinal Baldassare REINA, Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, will open the proceedings. Speakers will include His Eminence Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Dr. Waldery Hilgeman, Postulator of the Cause for Beatification of Cardinal Văn Thuận; His Eminence Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy; His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Don Carlo Seno, priest of the Diocese of Milan and director of the “Vinea mea” Spirituality Center, will perform on the piano.
The meeting will be moderated by journalist Alessandro De Carolis of Vatican Radio - Vatican News.
During the conference, the Italian edition of the new biography of Cardinal Văn Thuận, written by his sister Élisabeth and published by Città Nuova Editrice, will be presented, with a preface by Cardinal Michael Czerny.
The event is open to the press, upon request for accreditation at the Holy See Press Office, and will be available via streaming in Italian, with simultaneous translation into English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Vietnamese.
Registration is available here.
The life, works, and spirituality of Cardinal Văn Thuận are also illustrated on the website dedicated to him, in several languages, at https://www.cardinalvanthuan.va/en.html .