Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson
President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
September, 2010
Dear friends, brothers and sisters,
As we approach the celebration of the 8th anniversary of the death of our beloved Cardinal François Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, the witness of joy, I would like to use his words to extend my warmest greetings to you all: “With Christ we can make our existence into a great feast. It is not impossible, we only need the courage to try; this indeed is what constitutes salvation.”
The profound content of this message from Cardinal Van Thuân, my predecessor, urges me to encourage you to remember him for his remarkable testimony as a Martyr of our time, throughout his many years of imprisonment in his own country, as well as the humiliations, difficulties and sufferings that he bore for so long and that are, for all of us, a paragon of joy, hope and love for the Church and for our brothers and sisters, without any discrimination.
His life, characterized by great serenity and peace, encourages us to live like him, in the shadow of the Cross, because “the resemblance to God is the manifestation of the Cross, the realization of the Cross in ourselves”. Only through this way of living can the peace that we all need in this world full of worries and confusion develop in our hearts.
Dear brothers and sisters, with these simple words I would like to accompany you in this period of preparation for the celebration this 8th anniversary and wish that you may live in joy, hope and faith strengthened by a deep spiritual life.
With these fraternal sentiments, united in prayer, I give my blessing to all of you.
Sincerely yours in the Lord,
President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
September, 2010
Dear friends, brothers and sisters,
As we approach the celebration of the 8th anniversary of the death of our beloved Cardinal François Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, the witness of joy, I would like to use his words to extend my warmest greetings to you all: “With Christ we can make our existence into a great feast. It is not impossible, we only need the courage to try; this indeed is what constitutes salvation.”
The profound content of this message from Cardinal Van Thuân, my predecessor, urges me to encourage you to remember him for his remarkable testimony as a Martyr of our time, throughout his many years of imprisonment in his own country, as well as the humiliations, difficulties and sufferings that he bore for so long and that are, for all of us, a paragon of joy, hope and love for the Church and for our brothers and sisters, without any discrimination.
His life, characterized by great serenity and peace, encourages us to live like him, in the shadow of the Cross, because “the resemblance to God is the manifestation of the Cross, the realization of the Cross in ourselves”. Only through this way of living can the peace that we all need in this world full of worries and confusion develop in our hearts.
Dear brothers and sisters, with these simple words I would like to accompany you in this period of preparation for the celebration this 8th anniversary and wish that you may live in joy, hope and faith strengthened by a deep spiritual life.
With these fraternal sentiments, united in prayer, I give my blessing to all of you.
Sincerely yours in the Lord,