Vatican Sets Beatification for Vietnamese Priest and Clarifies His Martyrdom
The Vatican has confirmed July 2 as the date for the beatification of Fr Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep, a Vietnamese priest killed in the turbulent aftermath of the Second World War. The ceremony will take place at the Tac Say Pilgrimage Center in southern Ca Mau province, where the priest’s remains are venerated by tens of thousands of pilgrims each year. Local Church leaders describe the decision as both a recognition of long standing popular devotion and a moment of historical clarity. For decades, Fr Diep has been honored simply as “the martyr” by the faithful, yet uncertainty surrounding the circumstances of his death shaped both memory and interpretation of his witness within Vietnam’s complex religious and political history.
Born in 1897 to a farming family in the Mekong Delta, Fr Diep was ordained in 1924 and spent most of his priesthood serving poor rural communities. Assigned to Tac Say Parish in 1930, he became widely known for tireless pastoral care and for defending vulnerable families during years marked by famine, war, and displacement. On March 12, 1946, he was killed while carrying out his ministry. For many years, popular belief held that his death was the result of ideological violence, an assumption reinforced by Vietnam’s later decades of conflict. That narrative, however, has now been formally corrected following a lengthy diocesan investigation reviewed and approved by the Holy See.
The investigation, conducted by the Diocese of Can Tho and completed in the past decade, concluded that Fr Diep was killed by two Japanese deserters acting out of resentment after Japan’s defeat. Witness testimony described how the priest was seized and executed near his parish, targeted not for political activity but because he was seen as a Christian priest associated with the West. The findings explicitly ruled out involvement by Viet Minh or communist forces, noting that Fr Diep was not politically active and maintained peaceful relationships across religious and social lines. This clarification has been welcomed by Vietnamese Catholics as an important step in honoring truth while easing lingering political sensitivities surrounding his cause.
With the cause now advanced, Fr Diep is set to become the first twentieth century Vietnamese martyr formally placed on the path toward sainthood. The beatification will be presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, acting as the special envoy of Pope Leo XIV. Church leaders emphasize that Fr Diep’s martyrdom is rooted not in ideology but in charity, pastoral courage, and fidelity to his people. His shrine continues to draw pilgrims from across Vietnam and beyond, including many from other religious traditions, who pray for healing, reconciliation, and hope. For the local Church, the upcoming beatification is not only a celebration of sanctity, but a moment of reconciliation between memory, history, and faith.
