Thirteen years of detention, including nine spent in solitary confinement, defined the later life of Nguyễn Văn Thuận, a Vietnamese Catholic prelate who became a global figure in justice and peace. Born in 1928, he transitioned from a leadership role in the Vietnamese church to becoming a cardinal in 2001 and eventually a venerable figure within the Catholic Church.
Early Ecclesiastical Career
Born in Huế, Thuận was the son of Nguyễn Văn Ấm and Elizabeth Ngô Đình Thị Hiệp. His path to the clergy began in his teenage years at the seminary at An Ninh. On 11 June 1953, he was ordained a priest by Jean-Baptiste Urrutia. Following three years of academic study in Rome, he returned to Vietnam, where he served as a faculty member and rector of the Seminary of Hoan Thiện in Huế. His rise through the hierarchy saw him appointed Bishop of Nha Trang in 1967, a position he held for eight years.
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In April 1975, Thuận was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Sài Gòn. Days later, the city fell to the North Vietnamese Army. Due to his religious status and familial ties to Ngô Đình Diệm, the new government detained him. During his thirteen-year incarceration, he crafted a crucifix from wire and wood smuggled by sympathetic guards. He wrote reflections on scraps of paper that were circulated globally as The Road of Hope and Prayers of Hope, documenting his spiritual endurance during nine years of total isolation.
Exile and International Leadership
The government released Thuận in 1988, though he remained under house arrest in Hanoi. He was permitted to visit Rome in 1991 and subsequently denied entry back into Vietnam. He accepted a position with the International Catholic Commission for Migration in Geneva. In 1994, he was named President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, where he addressed international issues like Third World debt. Pope John Paul II elevated him to the College of Cardinals in 2001. He died of cancer in Rome in 2002.
Fast facts
- Born: 17 April 1928, Huế
- Died: 16 September 2002, Rome
- Ordained Priest: 11 June 1953
- Appointed Bishop of Nha Trang: 13 April 1967
- Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Sài Gòn: 24 April 1975
- Cardinal Status: 21 February 2001
- Burial Site: Campo Verano
- Venerable Declaration: 4 May 2017
Questions readers ask
What books did he author during his imprisonment?
He wrote The Road of Hope and Prayers of Hope while in detention, smuggling the texts out on small scraps of paper.
What was his role at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace?
Appointed in 1994, he served as President and managed global concerns including Third World debt.
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