ASIA/VIETNAM - Martyr and pastor, Father Diep gives his life with joy

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Bac Lieu (Agenzia Fides) - Since the 1980s, groups of pilgrims from all over Vietnam have come to the church of Tac Say, in the Mekong Delta, the southernmost area of the country. Their visit is motivated by devotion and the request for intercession to Father Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep, buried in this church, whose martyrdom has been recognized by the Holy See. On November 25, the Pope authorized the promulgation of the decree on the martyrdom of Father Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep (1897-1946), a Vietnamese diocesan priest killed out of hatred for the faith during the First Vietnam War.
The number of people who have received graces and blessings through the intercession of Father Diep has increased over the years, so that an increasing number of believers, as well as non-Catholics, from the country and abroad have come to the church of Tac Say. Especially on March 11 and 12 (the anniversary of his death), pilgrims number in the tens of thousands, attending mass and praying with reverence and solemnity. Throughout the year, the flow of people who stop at his grave is uninterrupted. Father Diep is considered the most beloved Catholic priest in Vietnam, a nation where Buddhists represent more than 80% of the population. Spontaneous pilgrimages, from people of all social classes and religions, from all over the country, attest to this affection. They all pray that Father Diep will support them and their families, helping them overcome life's difficulties. Father Diep's image is everywhere: in homes, offices, shops, markets, restaurants, cars, urban and rural streets. Many Vietnamese people always carry a small image of Father Diep with them, with the firm conviction that he will help them overcome life's circumstances. Jacob Huynh Van Lap, an altar boy who lived with him when he was parish priest of the church of Tac Say, recalls speaking to Fides: “Father Diep was very kind, his voice was soft but clear when he preached. He was a priest who loved the poor very much: when there were poor and hungry people, or people who had difficulty finding housing, he gave them rice from his pantry and did everything he could to help them.”
In 1945-1946, the social situation was very chaotic, with the French and Japanese fighting for control of Vietnam. In rural areas, such as Tac Say, anarchy and looting were frequent. At that time, Father Diep was parish priest of the parish of Tac Say, in the Gia Rai district, Bac Lieu province, in southern Vietnam. Faced with the unstable situation, other priests advised him to go into hiding, but he refused. When the French came to rescue him, Father Diep replied: “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 soldiers tried to kill them by burning the straw around them. Father Diep, offering his life for his community, told the gunmen: “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. The next day, Father Diep's body was found in a pond, with his hands folded in prayer. He was secretly buried in Khuc Treo Church, 7 km from Tac Say. In 1969, his remains were transferred to Tac Say Church, where he had served for 16 years. Father Diep's tomb was renovated on June 4, 1989, and has now become a place of pilgrimage. Francis Truong Buu Diep was born on January 1, 1897, and was baptized on February 2, 1897, in Con Phuoc Parish, My Luong Commune, An Giang Province. In 1909, he was sent to study at the Cu Lao Gieng minor Seminary in Tan My Commune. After completing the minor Seminary, he entered the major Seminary of Nam Vang, Cambodia (at that time, the parishes of An Giang, Chau Doc and Ha Tien were under the diocese of Phnom Penh, Cambodia). He was ordained a priest in Nam Vang by the French bishop Jean-Baptiste-Maximilien Chabalier MEP in 1924. From 1924 to 1927, he was assistant parish priest in the parish of Ho Tru, a Vietnamese parish in the province of Kandal (Cambodia). From 1927 to 1929, he again worked as a teacher at the minor Seminary of Cu Lao Gieng, in the province of An Giang. In March 1930, he returned to take charge of the parish of Tac Say, where he was assassinated on March 12, 1946. (AD/PA) (Agenzia Fides, 27/12/2024)