Vietnam celebrated this Thursday the first beatification ceremony in its history on national soil. Tens of thousands of faithful gathered at the parish of Tac Say, in the province of Ca Mau, to attend the beatification of Father Francisco Javier Trương Bửu Diệp, a Vietnamese priest murdered in 1946 while protecting his parishioners during the years following the Second World War.
The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, envoy of Pope Leo XIV, who described the celebration as “a moment of great joy for Vietnamese Catholics” and “a truly historic day for the life of the Church.”
A priest murdered while protecting his faithful
Francisco Javier Trương Bửu Diệp was appointed parish priest of Tac Say in 1930 and stood out for his dedication to the poor, the sick, and those affected by war.
According to the diocesan investigation concluded in 2017, the priest was murdered in 1946 by two Japanese deserters while trying to protect members of his community. His reputation for holiness quickly spread among Vietnamese Catholics, becoming for decades one of the figures of greatest popular devotion in the country.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims
The Church in Vietnam expected the participation of around 70,000 people, many of whom arrived several days earlier to follow the ceremony from screens installed around the parish.
Faithful from different regions of the country traveled to Ca Mau to take part in a celebration considered historic for the Vietnamese Catholic community.
An unprecedented event
Although Vietnam has 117 canonized martyrs, all of them were beatified and later canonized through ceremonies held in Rome. The beatification of Father Trương Bửu Diệp marks the first time this rite has been celebrated within Vietnamese territory.
The event also coincides with a period of rapprochement between the Holy See and Vietnam. After decades without full diplomatic relations since the end of the war in 1975, both parties reached an agreement in 2023 for the establishment of a Resident Pontifical Representative in the country.
The Catholic Church in Vietnam
According to data from the Holy See, Vietnam has more than 7.5 million Catholics, representing approximately 7.4% of the population.
Although the Vietnamese Constitution recognizes religious freedom, religious organizations are subject to strict state control, a situation that has been criticized by various international human rights organizations.