FRANCIS XAVIER TRUONG BUU DIEP, PRIEST AND MARTYR

FRANCIS XAVIER TRUONG BUU DIEP, PRIEST AND MARTYR - 12 MARCH

FRANCIS XAVIER TRUONG BUU DIEP, PRIEST AND MARTYR

A statue of Father Diep

Born on January 1, 1897 to a farming family in An Giang province, Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep studied at Phnom Phen seminary, whose apostolic vicariate covered a wide area in both Cambodia and Vietnam. He was ordained in 1924 and spent most of his priesthood serving poor people in the Mekong Delta. Assigned to Tac Say Parish, Bac Lieu province, southern Vietnam, in 1930, he became known for his tireless pastoral work and his willingness to defend vulnerable people in the violent aftermath of World War II.

During the First Indochina War, in 1945 - 1946, when Father Diep was faced with the dangerous and unstable political situation, he was advised to go into hiding, but he refused. When the French came to rescue him, Father Diep answered: “I live with the flock of my faithful, and if I must die, I wish to die with them.”

On March 12, 1946, he was arrested by the Japanese along with more than 70 villagers. They were all locked in a barn, and the executioners tried to kill them by burning the straw around them. Father Diep, offering his life for his community, told the soldiers: “I am the pastor of these faithful, I am ready to die for them. Take me.” The armed leader thought that by killing Father Diep he would destroy the community of Tac Say. At his words, many Catholics asked him for confession, and some non-Catholics asked him to baptize them. That night, the soldiers beheaded Father Diep. Witnesses said that he remained peaceful, showing no fear. He looked at his executioners and said: “I forgive you for your actions.” After beheading him, the executioners fell to their knees, trembling, and then fled into the forest. No one ever saw them again.

Father Diep's remains were later recovered. They are enshrined in his own church in Tac Say since 1969 where they are still venerated not only by Christians, but also by people of other religions who turn to him for intercession.

Bishop Peter Le Tan Loi of Can Tho confirmed that the Holy See authorized the beatification ceremony on July 2, 2026, at the Tac Say Pilgrimage Centre.

Bishop Loi said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization, will preside at the beatification as Pope Leo XVI's special envoy.

"This is a special gift from God," Bishop Loi said, describing the decision as a call for Catholics to follow Father Diep's "faithful witness, deep love for God and self-sacrificing service to others."

Sources:

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Fr-Di%E1%BB%87p,-the-first-Vietnamese-martyr-of-the-20th-century,-to-become-a-Blessed-61981.html

https://www.fides.org/en/news/75833-ASIA_VIETNAM_Martyr_and_pastor_Father_Diep_gives_his_life_with_joy - Agenzia Fides, 27/12/2024

https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican-sets-beatification-vietnamese-priest-long-believed-slain-communists

⬅️ Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions - Martyrs of Vietnam

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