In the year 1974, I joined the Mariapolis which was being held at Nha Trang in Vietnam.  Bishop Nguyen Van Thuan who was then bishop of Nha Trang was 46 and at the prime of his life.  He appeared to be meek and gentle, giving the impression of a father-like kindness.  It was he who took the initiative to invite members of the Focolare Movement to host the said activity there.  The following year, South Vietnam was lost to the communist regime.  As he had been appointed Coadjutor of the diocese of Saigon (nowadays Ho Chi Minh City), he was arrested by the government and kept in prison.  It was originally a life imprisonment, but he was released after 13 years at the age of 61.<br/><br/>
He was appointed Vice President and then President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace since 1994.  During his presidential term, he was elevated to the post of Cardinal.  On 16 September 2002, he returned to the eternal home of our Father.  At the 5th anniversary of his death, Pope Benedict XVI officially approved to open his cause for beatification.<br/><br/>
The examples that are worthy for the world to follow are his faithfulness to the Church and his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.  His younger sister, who was addressing the audience at the International Eucharistic Congress recently held in Quebec, said that: “During Cardinal Nguyen’s 13-year incarceration, he celebrated Mass everyday with three drops of wine in his palm and a small piece of bread. At the same time he preserved a bit of the Holy Eucharist in his shirt pocket for the purpose of adoration.  He always said his prayer in this manner, “The Lord Jesus Christ, You are in me and I am in You!”.”<br/><br/>
Notwithstanding that I only met the late Cardinal Nguyen on several occasions (I have also met him in Taipei and Rome later on), the shadow of his sincerity and solidness had since been engraved deeply in my heart.