Bishop Mario Toso, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Van Thuán and said,
“The 10th anniversary of the death of the beloved Servant of God Cardinal Van Thuán — we still have the vivid memory of his burial a few months ago in this church of Santa Maria della Scala – is being observed with this Eucharist on the day of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Now very close are the Synod of the month of October, dedicated to the New Evangelization, and the opening of the Year of Faith.
“Hence, we cannot fail to realize that this year the memory of Cardinal Van Thuán is characterized by ecclesial and pastoral references that are particularly dense with meaning.
In particular, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross enables us to recall Cardinal Van Thuán as an heroic witness of the love of Jesus Christ, of that total and faithful love that led him to suffer the torture reserved for slaves.
“The Cross is the place where Jesus Christ showed the breadth, the length, the height and the depth of his love for the Father and for humanity. During the years of harsh imprisonment, the Servant of God Van Thuán drew strength from the love of the crucified Christ. He immersed himself in it celebrating the Eucharist in its greatest essence.
“In his preaching he often quoted the liturgical prayer: O Crux ave, spes unica: Hail O Cross, our only hope.”
He ended his message by saying, “May the Cross on which Jesus stretched his arms, gathering Jews and pagans into one people, help us to be, as the Servant of God Van Thuan, heralds of unity and peace.”
ROME, SEPT. 17, 2012 (Zenit.org)