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On November 25, Pope Francis recognized the martyrdom of Fr. Francis Xavier Tru’o’ng Bǚu Diệp, who died on March 12, 1946, in Vietnam.
Fr. Francis Xavier was a diocesan priest who was killed during a tumultuous time at the end of the Second World War.
Vietnamese martyr
According to the Vatican biography, “Francis Xavier Tru’o’ng Bǚu Diệpwas born on January 1, 1897, in the Vietnamese province of An Giang…[to] Catholic parents. On February 2 he was baptized and received the name of the great Jesuit missionary saint [Francis Xavier]…in 1909 he was welcomed into the minor seminary of the province of An Giang. From there he passed to the major seminary of Phnom Penh and, having completed his studies, he was ordained a priest in 1924 by Msgr. Jean-Claude Bouchut, of the foreign missions of Paris.”
For most of his priesthood he was a parish priest, serving in various cities. He was recognized for his holiness and care for the poor.
When World War II broke-out, Japan eventually invaded Vietnam and occupied it until the end of the war. With Japan’s defeat, Vietnam, though nominally still under French colonial possession, was occupied by both Chinese and English troops. This brought its own problems, as Vietnam was in a state of chaos, with various groups struggling to win power.
The Vatican biography explains how Fr. Francis Xavier was killed during this chaotic time:
The situation worsened due to the presence of armed groups and gangs and Japanese deserters at the service of the various commanders…on the morning of March 12, 1946, a group of militants from the Caodaist sect, dependent on a high political exponent with whom [Fr. Francis Xavier] had clashed about the land granted to the poor, arrived in front of the church and blocked about 70 people, Christians and non-Christians, and Fr. Francis Xavier himself, and closed them in two barns a few kilometers away, initially with the intention of killing and burning everyone.
Fr. Francis Xavier was killed, trying to defend his people and even baptized some of the non-Christians before he died.
With the recognition of his martyrdm, Fr. Francis Xavier can now be beatified, the last step before being canonized a saint.
And today we celebrate...