Sister of Cardinal Van Thuan Confesses, Meets Him Behind the Confessional

Élisabeth Nguyen Thi Thu Hong, younger sister of the late Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, appeared in a video interview recorded in Rome on 25 March 2026. She recounted how she went to confess and found her brother waiting behind the confessional. “I did not know he was there, so I went to confess, and it was he,” she said. The encounter occurred during the 24th anniversary commemoration of the cardinal’s death on 16 September 2026. She recalled his words, “When I am behind this with my stole, I am Jesus,” which she described as her most beautiful moment with him. She promised to pray for him when he was ordained a priest.

Earlier, before his ordination, he had cared for her as a child and asked how she could help him become a good priest; she had promised to pray. The cardinal endured 13 years of imprisonment without trial under the communist government of Vietnam, from August 1975 until his release in 1988. He celebrated Mass secretly, used smuggled hosts and wine labeled as stomach medicine, and wrote spiritual reflections that were later compiled in “The Way of Hope.” Born on 17 April 1928 in Phú Cam, he was the second of nine children and became the first Vietnamese bishop of Nha Trang in 1967. After his release, he lived in Rome, served on the Pontifical Council Justice and Peace, and was made a cardinal in 2001. He died on 16 September 2002, was declared venerable by Pope Francis in 2017, and his legacy was highlighted in a 2026 statement by his postulators, who noted the continued relevance of his hope-filled testimony.

The 50th anniversary of his book “The Way of Hope” was also marked by a conference in Rome featuring memories from Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who recalled the cardinal’s comforting presence without bitterness or hatred.